Zinke bows to states, revises plan to reorganize Interior Department

Bowing to pressure from state officials, the Department of Interior has significantly altered its bid to reorganize how it manages public lands and the national park system.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told the Associated Press he is willing to incorporate state concerns into his goal of reorganizing the department according to watersheds and natural landscapes, rather than the current emphasis on jurisdictional concerns.

Zinke’s change in direction comes after a bipartisan coalition of governors from Western states complained they were not properly consulted about the dramatic change in departmental structure.

By Matthew Renda/Courthouse News Service

https://www.missoulacurrent.com/outdoors/2018/02/zinke-revises-plan/