Interior Secretary Claims He’s Made No Decision On Bears Ears. His Comments Raise Some Doubts.

By Chris D’Angelo

 The Interior Department has denied that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told Utah officials he will recommend the 1.35-million acre Bears Ears National Monument be abolished.E&E News reported Friday that San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman told the publication Zinke disclosed his plans during a meeting with the commission earlier this month. Like Utah’s Republican congressional delegation, the commission opposes the monument’s creation.“We got a chance to visit with [Zinke] in his office, and our message was that we’d like to see Bears Ears National Monument rescinded,” Lyman reportedly told E&E. “He said, ‘Well, let me tell you what I’m thinking: Not only should that monument be rescinded, but we’re not going to stop there. We need to discuss all the dysfunctionality of public land management over the last three decades.’” Shortly after the story was published, Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said on Twitter that such reports were “not accurate.” “The Secretary is listening to and talking with advocates on all sides of the issue in Utah,” Swift wrote in a statement. “He has not yet reached a decision.” Reached by phone late Friday, Lyman said he did not intend to convey that Zinke has made up his mind, and felt he’d been misquoted. But when asked about the meeting, Lyman said Zinke told the commissioners the administration intends to not only “address the monument,” but also a number of other public lands issues. “Zinke said, ‘My boss [Donald Trump] says that these rural counties have been systematically shut down and it’s time for them to go back to work,’” Lyman told HuffPost. Lyman also said “there’s no question” the Trump administration is “moving in a certain direction” when it comes to monument designations. “My impression is he’d like to rescind it,” Lyman said of Zinke, adding that he’s confident the former Montana congressman will “do his homework” and make the right decision. Bruce Adams, chairman of the San Juan County Commission, also disputed the the E&E report. Although he hadn’t read the story, Adams told HuffPost that at no point did Zinke tell the commission he’s made up his mind...more