Department of Interior adds Katahdin Woods & Waters to 'the list'

COURTESY / MATTHEW GAGNON, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Maine Gov. Paul LePage got his wish Friday when the Department of Interior announced it was adding the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument to the list of monuments included in President Trump's April 26 executive order calling for a review of 26 national monuments created since 1996.

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By Staff

The Department of the Interior announced Friday it was adding the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument to the list of monuments included in President Trump’s April 26 executive order calling for a review of 26 national monuments created since 1996.

Unlike the other monuments on the list, which specified that those being reviewed were 100,000 acres or more, Maine’s national monument is only 87,500 acres.

The Interior Department added Katahdin Woods & Woods under its own criteria of “National Monuments being reviewed to determine whether the designation or expansion was made without adequate public outreach or coordination with relevant stakeholders.”

In doing so, the department appears to have taken its cue from from Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who told the Federal Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee at the May 2 inaugural hearing over Trump’s executive order that former President Barack Obama “blatantly disregarded key indicators” of local opposition when he created Katahdin Woods & Waters last August.

How to submit comments

Comments may be submitted online after May 12 at this web address by entering “DOI-2017-0002” in the search bar and clicking “Search,” or by mail to: Monument Review, MS-1530, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.

Trump set an interim report deadline of 45 days and a final report deadline of 120 days from the April 26 order” for the national monuments singled out on the list.

“Today’s action, initiating a formal public comment process finally gives a voice to local communities and states when it comes to Antiquities Act monument designations,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in Friday’s news release. “There is no pre-determined outcome on any monument. I look forward to hearing from and engaging with local communities and stakeholders as this process continues.”

Criteria that will be applied by Zinke to the national monuments on the list include:

The requirements and original objectives of the Act, including the Act’s requirement that reservations of land not exceed “the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected”;
Whether designated lands are appropriately classified under the Act as “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, [or] other objects of historic or scientific interest”;
The effects of a designation on the available uses of designated Federal lands, including consideration of the multiple-use policy of section 102(a)(7) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1701(a)(7)), as well as the effects on the available uses of Federal lands beyond the monument boundaries;
The effects of a designation on the use and enjoyment of non-federal lands within or beyond monument boundaries;
Concerns of state, tribal and local governments affected by a designation, including the economic development and fiscal condition of affected states, tribes, and localities;
The availability of Federal resources to properly manage designated areas; and
Such other factors as the secretary deems appropriate.

Sen. King issues statement

U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, issued a statement Friday reiterating earlier comments that rescinding the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument would be a mistake.

“I believe this review is unnecessary and only reignites controversy in a region that was beginning to heal and move forward,” he said. “The designation was made following substantial public input that spanned the course of several years — all of which helped to create a monument that was specifically tailored to honor Maine traditions, which is why recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling were all permitted.

“Furthermore, the monument has already begun to yield real economic benefits to the region, and has done so with no negative impact on Maine's forest products industry. I am deeply concerned that this review will stifle that progress by threatening future investments and hampering economic growth when it is needed there now more than ever before.”