"The lands President Donald Trump carved from Grand Staircase-Escalante included a 40-acre parcel owned by his ally and former Utah state Rep. Mike Noel."
"The Interior Department’s internal watchdog issued a report Thursday concluding there is “no evidence” that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke gave retired Utah state Rep. Mike Noel preferential treatment when he redrew the boundary of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The months-long investigation by the agency’s Office of Inspector General came at the request of Montana-based environmental group Western Values Project. Investigators looked into whether Noel influenced the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle the protected site.
Late last year, on Zinke’s recommendation, Trump cut the 1.87 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante, the largest land national monument in the country, roughly in half. The rollback opened the door for oil and gas exploration and for other development."
Chris D’Angelo reports for HuffPost January 31, 2019.
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