Western Values Project is releasing another hard-hitting advertisement telling Congressman Greg Walden to definitively clarify his position on public land protections and key legislation that is making its way through Congress.
“While talking out both sides of your mouth may work in Washington, D.C., people here in the West expect straight answers, especially on something that is as integral to our way of life as our public lands,” said Chris Saeger, executive director of the Western Values Project. “Congressman Walden keeps wiggling his way out of answering repeated requests to clarify his position on legislation that will have devastating impacts on public lands in Oregon and across the West.”
The print advertisement follows television ads, radio ads and polling last month targeting Congressman Walden on the Trump administration’s decision to unlawfully gut two million acres of protected public lands in Utah. Secretary Zinke made a similar recommendation for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
The full-page ad, with a for sale to special interests sign in front of Cascade-Siskiyou, says that if Congressman Walden ‘truly supports public lands he needs to come out and say he’s against H.R. 4532 and H.R. 3990 – two bills among many in Congress that would end protections of our national treasures.’ H.R. 4532 would codify Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears National Monument and H.R. 3990 would eviscerate the Antiquities Act by allowing current and future Presidents to eliminate designated national monuments without congressional approval.
The ads will run in the Congressman’s district and prompt constituents to call Walden’s office seeking clarification on his positions. Last month’s poll in his district found overwhelming support for public land protections and that his constituents, by a clear, 14-point margin, oppose legislation in Congress that would reduce the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.
“Given the strong opposition in his district to any legislation that undermines public land protections, one can only assume that Congressman Walden is listening instead to the special interests who want nothing more than to exploit our public lands for their own gain,” said Saeger.
The House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on Tuesday for H.R. 4532 and has already moved H.R. 3990 out of committee on a party-line vote.