Time for the Interior to make a ‘grand pivot’ back to conservation

As we wait for President Trump to announce his nominee to replace outgoing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, one thing is certain – the next secretary of the Interior must be someone who demonstrates a commitment to preserving the integrity of America’s public lands and their history and culture. Someone who will stand up for what is right for public lands that belong to all of us, in the face of political and industry pressures.

For nearly 160 years, the Department of the Interior has managed and protected our nation’s most treasured resources and our cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people. Unfortunately, the agency under Ryan Zinke’s leadership took the opposite direction, taking the power away from the people and tipping the balance in favor of industry. From staff upheaval to eliminating land protections for our national monuments and proposing to open nearly the entire U.S. coastline to offshore drilling, this administration has shown a clear pattern of overprioritizing private interests to the detriment of our irreplaceable natural resources and cultural heritage.

{mosads}Despite these setbacks, the next Interior secretary has an opportunity to put the agency and our national parks back on track, starting by refocusing efforts back to conservation. As the impacts of climate change, encroaching development and billions of dollars in needed repairs continue to put our national parks in jeopardy, we need an Interior secretary who is willing to acknowledge these issues and use the power of the position and its mission to address them head-on.

Just as we consistently held Mr. Zinke accountable for his decisions, we will continue to call on the next secretary of the Interior to ensure national parks have the protections and support they need to continue to be destinations for exploration, education and wonder for generations to come. In order to uphold the conservation policies that protect national parks, their wildlife and our cultural and natural resources, he or she must:

1. Ensure the continued protection of national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges, recreation areas and many other lands for present and future generations.
2. Implement laws and policies that keep national park air and water clean and healthy for visitors and local communities.
3. Preserve America’s expansive and evolving story by enhancing programs, inventorying artifacts and improving interpretation to ensure our national park system encompasses the breadth and depth of the American experience.
4. Advance policies that protect lands adjacent to parks, which are also critical to the health and integrity of park resources — including those that safeguard our parks from inappropriate oil and gas development.
5. Reinstate the use of science in the management of national park lands and address the ongoing impacts of climate change.
6. Instill confidence in and support DOI staff, who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting America’s public lands.
7. Work with Congress to increase funding for the operation of our national parks and address the multi-billion-dollar backlog of repair maintenance needs across the system.
8. Ensure national parks continue to be safe havens for wildlife, protecting animals from egregious hunting practices and providing endangered species the time and resources they need to recover.

The Department of the Interior deserves a leader who will respect those who have dedicated their careers to protecting public lands and who is committed to working with tribes, local communities, conservation groups and the public.

And the American people deserve someone who will ensure that our nation’s most treasured places are managed responsibly and preserved unimpaired for future generations.

The Senate must ensure the next Interior secretary will put national parks and all of our public lands back on the right track. Our nation’s most inspirational and iconic places depend on it.

Theresa Pierno is president and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association.