Ryan Zinke on Environment

Cleanup industrial sites; preserve open space

Zinke indicates support of the following principles regarding the environment.
• Use state funds to clean up former industrial & commercial sites that are contaminated or abandoned.
• Support funding for improvements to Montana's power generating & transmission facilities.
• Support funding for open space preservation.
• Zinke adds, "I support a sustainable yield policy in the harvest of forest products and strongly support timber harvest in areas that require thinning for fire prevention."

Absolutely against transfer or sale of public land to states

Smokey the Bear should be viewed as helpful, not as police

Shrink national monuments and expand offshore drilling

OpEd: National Parks are under-staffed despite more visits

Last month, 14 members of Congress criticized Secretary Zinke in a formal letter, stating, "Morale is already low at NPS, due to rampant underfunding coupled with increased visitation, a highly questionable department-wide reorganization proposal, a continuing climate of harassment, and the failure of the White House to nominate a permanent NPS director."

The Trump administration, with Zinke's input, in its most recent budget proposal would have cut another 1,800 Park Service staff--more than 9 percent of its already-reduced workforce. While Congress rejected this plan, staffing needs continue to go unaddressed.

Raise fees & eliminate national park passes for kids

While we were hopeful [about] Zinke, we were soon disappointed, then appalled, as his doors were soon darkened by profiteers, big game hunters, oil executives, and climate deniers. Under Zinke, national monuments were carved up and reopened for development, exemplified by the reduction of Bears Ears national monument under the guise of a "review" under which Native American input was left out and public opposition ignored. Then Zinke rolled out a series of poorly conceived ideas: eliminate national park passes for the active military and fourth graders, and increase national park entrance fees.

End ban on lead bullets & fishing tackle in wildlife refuges

The move was opposed by the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and other environmental groups. The rollback was praised by the National Rifle Association, as well as other "gun rights advocates, sportsmen's groups, conservatives and state wildlife agencies."