More than three-fourths of the National Park Service advisory board has quit over being “ignored” by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the issue of climate change, according to a former governor who was part of the panel.
The Washington Post first reported the departure of 10 of the 12 members, which included former Democratic Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles.
The resignations followed the members being repeatedly ignored by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the Trump administration’s agenda, according to a letter of resignation delivered to Zinke.
Zinke has not met with the board despite several requests and invitations to do so, the letter read.
A number of requests to engage with Zinke “have been ignored and the matters on which we wanted to brief the new department team are clearly not part of the agenda,” the resignation letter read.
Knowles later said in a phone interview that the agency “showed no interest in learning about or continuing to use the forward-thinking agenda of science, the effect of climate change, protections of the ecosystems, education,” according to Alaska Public Radio.
“And it has rescinded [National Park Service] regulations of resource stewardship concerning those very things: biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change,” the former governor added.
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Zinke’s refusal to meet with the members is “further evidence of the Trump administration’s disregard for our national parks.”
Cantwell is calling on Zinke to “personally reach out to each member” of the advisory panel to tell them their counsel is valued and that the administration respects local voices.
“Whether it’s offshore drilling, wildlife protection or managing our national parks, the Interior secretary alone does not get to decide what activities happen on publicly owned lands that make up one-fifth of the United States,” Cantwell said.
