Zinke Met By Protest As He Arrives To Consider Utah Monuments

"SALT LAKE CITY — While protestors clogged the sidewalk outside, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he will be gathering perspectives of people on all sides of a deeply controversial issue as he reviews the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.

Zinke landed in Salt Lake City on Sunday bound for his four-day "listening tour" regarding the monuments — both designated by Democratic presidents and decried by Utah Republicans — but the voices on the street expressed their doubt the secretary will listen much at all.

Speaking to reporters in the offices of Utah's Bureau of Land Management, Zinke said that while many of the nearly 30 national monuments he will be reviewing enjoy widespread support, he doesn't believe that's the case with Bears Ears."

McKenzie Romero reports for the Deseret News May 7, 2017.

SEE ALSO:

"US Interior Secretary Begins Utah Tour To Eye Monument Sites" (AP)

"The Latest: Protest Erupts As Interior Secretary Visits Utah" (AP)