Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has created a new outdoor recreation advisory committee made up almost entirely of representatives from the industry.
Zinke created the “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee in November to advise him on public lands’ issues. The Interior has appointed 15 members to it, nearly all of whom work in the outdoor recreation industry. The lone exception is Linda Craighead, the assistant secretary of parks and tourism at the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
Its members include officials representing companies with Natural Park Service contracts, such as those in the hospitality and food service sectors, as well as individuals from the manufacturing, fishing, boating, and all-terrain vehicle industries, which have a financial stake in Interior’s policy decisions.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post says, Zinke declined to appoint to the committee nominees offered by the Outdoor Industry Association, which advocates for people who engage in nonmotorized activities, such as mountain climbing, hiking, and kayaking, on public lands. The association has criticized President Trump’s decision last year to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.
“The Made in America Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee is made up of the private sector’s best and brightest to tackle some of our biggest public lands infrastructure and access challenges,” Zinke said Monday afternoon in a statement.
“This committee will provide valuable insight into addressing the maintenance backlog on our public lands. The committee’s collective experience as entrepreneurs and business leaders provide unique insight that is often lost in the federal government.”
Environmental and conservation groups have criticized Zinke for relying on business in assembling various advisory panels.
Many members on his Royalty Policy Committee belong to the oil, gas, and mining industries.
That committee last month recommended Zinke cut the royalty rate that oil and natural gas companies pay for offshore drilling in deep federal waters.
The proposed amount, 12.5 percent, is the lowest rate the government can charge for offshore leases.
The royalty committee, which lapsed during the Obama administration, also has members from states, tribes, and academia.
Interior also recently convened its first meeting of the International Wildlife Conservation Council, which Zinke tasked with helping establish federal rules for importing lion, rhino, and elephant trophies. It seeks to provide advice to Zinke on “the benefits that result from U.S. citizens traveling to foreign nations to engage in hunting.”
The council’s members include hunting guides, gunmakers, and others who support animal trophy hunting, including some with ties to Trump’s family.
Last year, Zinke suspended the work of the Interior Department’s more than 200 federally-chartered advisory panels, to review their performance. Most of them are operating again.
But in January, nearly all members of an existing committee advising the National Park Service resigned, accusing Zinke of not valuing their input.
