Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced his intention to privatize large parts of the National Park Service. According to E&E News, he told the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association:
“As the secretary, I don’t want to be in the business of running campgrounds. My folks will never be as good as you are.”
And Secretary Zinke went on to say:
“We are going to have more public-private partnerships soon. I think that’s where the industry should be going.”
Secretary Zinke’s proposal to privatize camping at iconic national parks like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon comes following his refusal to demand a budget that adequately funds maintenance of our public lands.
“Secretary Zinke is throwing hardworking park rangers under the bus, while advocating for a budget that cuts essential funding and allows special interests to drill and mine public lands with virtually no accountability,” said Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project. “Not only has Zinke forgotten where he comes from, he’s making it clear to people across the West that he could care less about their access to public land.”