fbpx

Interior Won’t Change Montana Monument Designation

Monument is one of the only free-flowing areas of the Missouri that remains as Lewis and Clark would have seen it

By Molly Priddy

WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he will not recommend changes to Montana’s Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument as he continues to review national monuments for possible elimination or reduction.

Zinke says the monument is one of the only free-flowing areas of the Missouri that remains as explorers Lewis and Clark saw it more than 200 years ago.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock had asked Zinke to keep the Breaks monument unchanged as he reviews 27 national monuments designated by previous presidents. President Donald Trump ordered the review, calling many monument designations land grabs by the federal government. Monument designations protect federal land from energy development and other activities.

The Montana monument is the fourth Zinke has removed from his review ahead of a final report due later this month.