Trump interior department directive raises fears for national monuments | Trump administration

The US interior department has raised fears among conservationist groups about how national monuments will be affected in its transformation to support the Trump administration’s pro-fossil fuel agenda.

A review from Trump’s pick for interior secretary, Doug Burgum, released on his first full day in the position on Monday, instructs federal officials to reverse Biden-era regulations on oil and gas industries and boost drilling.

Burgum also called for “actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn lands”, which conservationist groups described as a threat to redraw boundaries of national monuments. “Burgum has proven he’s nothing more than a puppet for Trump’s excessive giveaways to billionaires,” said Kristen Miller, who directs the conservation group Alaska Wilderness League.

The seven-page directive says “burdensome regulations” enshrined by President Joe Biden should be overturned to further fossil fuel development. “By removing such regulations, America’s natural resources can be unleashed to restore American prosperity,” it says.

Fossil fuel interests poured $96m into Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and affiliated political action committees.

Burgum gave agency officials until 18 February to submit plans on how to comply with his order.

Among the sites conservationists fear are most at risk are Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, where state officials fought against their creation. Grand Staircase-Escalante holds large coal reserves, and the Bears Ears area has uranium.

Trump reduced the size of the two monuments during his first term, calling them a “massive land grab”. He also lifted fishing restrictions within a sprawling marine monument off the New England coast.

Biden later restored protections for all three sites.

Whether Trump has the authority to change the boundaries of existing monuments is unclear and part of a pending legal case.

“This is a sneaky, unpatriotic attack that strikes at the very foundation of the country’s adored public lands, including national parks and monuments. These national treasures are broadly beloved,” a coalition of national monument advocates said in a statement on Tuesday. The group includes business owners, environmental and conservation organizations, and outdoor recreation supporters.

National monuments safeguard public water and wildlife, boost the outdoor-recreation economy, protect trails and preserve culturally and geographically significant sites, the group said.

The Utah monuments encompass more than 3.2m acres (13m hectares) – an area nearly the size of Connecticut. They were created under the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that gave presidents the powers to protect sites considered historic, geographically significant or culturally important.

The supreme court has affirmed the president’s authority to create national monuments, and both Democrats and Republicans – including Trump – have used the Antiquities Act.

Interior department officials declined to say whether any monuments would be singled out and stressed that no decisions had been made. Burgum did not explicitly mention any monuments in his order but cited the federal statute that corresponds to the 1906 law.

The interior secretary’s directive came amid record oil and gas production in the US.

“Burgum’s vision of American energy ‘dominance’ continues the Maga movement’s essential lie about US energy policy,” said Alan Zibel, research director at the consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen. “America’s energy ‘potential’ has already been unlocked due to a 15-year fracking boom that pushed production – and exports to foreign countries – to record levels.”

Burgum, a billionaire, is the former governor of North Dakota, which is the third largest oil and natural gas producer in the country.

He played a key role in the development of the Trump administration’s energy policy. After the president asked oil executives to steer $1bn toward his campaign, Burgum promised them Trump would halt Joe Biden’s “attack” on fossil fuels.

Associated Press contributed to this report