A rare appearance by President Donald Trump west of the Mississippi gives Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval an opportunity to stand up for Nevada and the west when he greets the president at the airport in Reno.

“It’s rare that President Trump ventures west of the Mississippi river, so Governor Sandoval should use this opportunity to have an honest conversation with the president about how his administration’s attempts to appease special interests are hurting Western communities. It’s not too late to end the sham review of national monuments that protect millions of acres of land in the West, or to let Western states continue with their locally developed plans to manage and protect the iconic sage-grouse,” said Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project. 

Some topics of discussion for President Trump and Governor Sandoval:

The politically motivated national monument review includes Gold Butte and Basin & Range in Nevada. Why would we want to reduce or eliminate the monument status for these protected lands when the economic benefits of federally protected lands have helped rural communities throughout the west?

The recent recommendations from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on sage-grouse management will upend plans that were developed over the last 10 years with bipartisan support. Why change these plans that have been successful in conserving sagebrush habitat alongside energy development and have strong bipartisan support from Western governors?