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© GRAPHIC NEWS

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Graphic shows five of the monuments being re-examined.
GN35485EN

ENVIRONMENT

American parks may lose federal protection

By Jordi Bou

August 15, 2017 - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is set to issue a final report in late August on President Donald Trump’s executive order to review environmental protections on federal lands, as part of a plan to increase development. This review puts in limbo protections on large swaths of land, home to ancient cliff dwellings, towering sequoia trees, deep canyons and ocean habitats where seals, whales and sea turtles roam. They were set aside as public land under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives presidents the power to limit use of public land for historic, cultural, scientific or other reasons.

The review is likely to add fuel to a heated national debate over Washington's role in America's wildest spaces. Environmentalists and tribal groups support federal oversight, but many state political leaders, conservatives and industry groups say the lands should generate money for business, creating jobs, or yielding revenue for education and other public services.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 14/06/2017; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press / Getty Images
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