Wyoming Delegation Protests Interior Memo

Wyoming's congressional delegation is taking issue with a U.S. Interior Department memorandum that they say suggests a secret plan to restrict land use in the state. Republican Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Rep. Cynthia Lummis wrote Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday expressing their concerns about the memo. In an internal BLM memo, the agency identified up to 13 million acres nationwide that President Barack Obama could designate as new national monuments. The delegation says the memo mentions using land-use planning to limit oil and gas development in Wyoming. The Interior Department has insisted the memo is nothing more than brainstorming. Federal law prohibits the president from designating monuments in Wyoming without congressional approval. The delegation says the memo appears to suggest ways to circumvent the law. AP