Bernhardt Rescinds Wilderness Protection Order Before Leaving Office

"As one of his last official acts in the Trump administration, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt rescinded an Obama-era order that directs the department to protect wilderness areas.

The order, signed in 2010, directed the Bureau of Land Management to designate wilderness areas to promote “protection of backcountry areas where Americans recreate, find solitude, and enjoy the wild,” according to a press release sent by the agency at the time.

Bernhardt’s order, signed Tuesday, rescinds it.

“That order is not mandated by any existing statutory or regulatory requirement,” read the document signed by Bernhardt."

Rebecca Beitsch reports for The Hill January 20, 2021.

Source: The Hill, 01/21/2021