Donald Trump has launched two major attacks on our public lands and waters.
On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order directing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to “review” more than 20 of our national monuments — American icons like Giant Sequoia in California and Bears Ears in Utah. If eliminated, these monuments — public lands that we all own — could be opened up to industry for oil and gas drilling.
And on Friday, Trump signed an executive order directing Zinke to begin the process of opening up protected areas in the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic for oil and gas drilling. This move directly targets 1,100 miles of California coastline — coastline that we have fought for decades to protect from polluters.
We need to get loud about this. These orders, like Trump’s illegal travel ban, show complete disregard for the rule of law. The president does not have authority to hand over national monuments and protected coastal waters to Big Oil — and Americans won’t stand for it.
Clean energy is beating fossil fuels and provides an unprecedented opportunity to create jobs, clean our air, and ensure long-term prosperity. Trump is willfully ignoring this opportunity, preferring to put fossil fuel polluters ahead of the health and well-being of the American people — and that is disgraceful.
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