Zinke issues executive order on transparency in consent decrees

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Wednesday issued an executive order to increase transparency when the Interior Department enters into consent decrees and settlement agreements. Ethan Lane, executive director of the Public Lands Council and National Cattlemen's Beef Association Federal Lands, said, "Ranchers operating on public land are subjected to relentless, coordinated litigation designed to force settlements with the Department of the Interior." "These actions waste taxpayer dollars, divert precious resources away from conservation efforts, and jeopardize the livelihoods of America's food and fiber producers," Lane said. "Secretary Zinke should be commended for this common-sense decision, which will shed some light on these bad actors and their unsavory tactics." link