Statement Regarding Interior Secretary Order #3418 and Threats to National Monuments

For Immediate Release

February 5, 2025
Contact:  Cameron Mayer, Executive Director,
Friends of the Amargosa Basin
(562) 233-7874

Shoshone, CA – Friends of the Amargosa Basin has issued the following public statement from its Executive Director Cameron Mayer expressing concern about the recently declared Secretarial Order #3418 entitled “Unleashing American Energy” and its potentially harmful impacts to cherished public lands designated as national monuments, as well as special areas withdrawn from fossil fuel and mining development. 

“This secretarial order mandates a 15 day internal review, which started on February 3^rd, by assistant secretaries of fossil fuel and mining on public lands, with the potential to revisit or revise protections for certain lands that have been set aside or withdrawn from extractive uses. Assistant secretaries are specifically instructed to submit action plans for this review under the specified window.” 

“This action is deeply concerning for not only its potential direct impacts to precious public lands that were purposefully set aside for their remarkable and unique cultural, historical, scientific, educational, and ecological, among other values, but for the undemocratic way in which it was drafted. The order itself does not use the words ‘national monument’ or ‘Antiquities Act’ but merely references U.S. code numbers. We would like to see a more transparent process that also allows for public input and requires broad public support, as the process for establishing protections dutifully requires.” 

“The broader American public has routinely spoken out in favor of setting aside certain exceptional public lands for the benefit of future generations to enjoy as we do. These lands preserve our shared heritage, support our economy at every scale, allow for free and easy access to outdoor recreation for all, and support ecosystems that sustain us. This is about ensuring that our collective prosperity includes a vision that public lands are for everyone, and that certain lands set aside as national monuments or other conservation-oriented designations remain a prideful part of our legacy in perpetuity.”