Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Zinke Offers No Details On National Monument Changes During Montana Visit

Upper Missouri River breaks.
BLM (PD)
Upper Missouri River breaks.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Thursday recommended boundary revisions for some national monuments, after being directed to review them by President Donald Trump in April. He gave those recommendations to the President, but did not release details.

Secretary Zinke was in Montana today and participated in a press conference with reporters when he visited the command post for the Lolo Peak Fire outside Florence, but his staff said he would not take questions about the monuments review.

"Reporters! Hi, I’m Heather Swift with Interior. If you have any questions about monument review, please ask me. This briefing is about the fire and what the secretaries are doing here today. If you questions about the monument review, please ask me," Interior spokesperson Heather Swift told reporters.

Eric Whitney: Can you give us any details on which of the handful of monuments will be getting adjustments?

"The press release was sent out, the secretary’s summary is included, and that’s all we have for right now," Swift replied.

The summary reportincludes no details on which national monuments are being recommended for boundary revisions.

Prior to today’s announcement, Secretary Zinke said that no changes will be made to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana.

Copyright 2020 Montana Public Radio. To see more, visit Montana Public Radio.

Eric Whitney is NPR's Mountain West/Great Plains Bureau Chief, and was the former news director for Montana Public Radio.