Trump’s Interior Secretary Plans to Destroy Department Records

As part of a broader plan to weaken the Endangered Species Act, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has made a request to destroy his department’s records on which animals are protected under the act, per the nonprofit DC Report.

Although it has yet to be verified, an email from Stanford librarian James R. Jacob posted on the subreddit for progressive podcast Chapo Trap House suggests that the request is part of the Interior Department’s larger proposed purge of Interior records, which also includes records about oil and gas leases, timber sales, dams and land purchases, as DC Report also notes.

Those records would be transferred to the National Archives, which would make it more difficult for Americans to access under the Freedom of Information Act. The full text of the Interior Department’s request, although unverified, was posted on the website AltGov 2, whose writer Russ Kick characterizes it as “a massive, department-wide request,” and mentions that the deadline for public comments at the National Archives & Records Administration has been extended to Nov. 26.

Throughout his time as the Trump administration’s Interior Secretary, Zinke has been at odds with conservationists on the Endangered Species Act, which has been in effect since 1973. In July, the Interior Department under Zinke’s leadership proposed three rule changes, which would make it more difficult to hold wildlife agencies accountable, reduce public input, and make protections for threatened plants and animals apply on a case-by-case basis.

“The Endangered Species Act is one of the most effective environmental policies in American history with 99 percent of species listed recovering in their designated timeline. It’s prevented iconic animals like the bald eagle and grizzly bear from going extinct—preserving our wild legacy and outdoor spaces for future generations,” said Athan Manuel, director of public lands protection for Sierra Club, in a statement at the time. “Instead of dismantling a policy we know works, Zinke should focus on requesting full funding for recovery efforts and allowing the Endangered Species Act to work like it’s supposed to and how it has for decades.”

Nevertheless, in September, Zinke also hired Robert Gordon, a conservative think-tank alum who in a recent report baselessly claimed that the act cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars, for a senior post in the Interior.

Still, Zinke’s Interior Department faced a major defeat later that month, as over 200 Native American tribes convinced a district court judge to overturn Zinke’s decision to de-list the Yellowstone grizzly bear, which is considered a sacred animal across the U.S. Zinke’s move would have opened up the grizzly bear for trophy hunts, an offensive practice to many Native Americans.

If Zinke’s Interior Department gets this latest request, though, business and political interests will triumph over the transparent protection of endangered species, to the detriment of all Americans. We can turn to this recent example as a model for how to resist Zinke’s environmentally destructive policies. The stakes are simply too high to let this slide.