U.S. Interior Department blasts resigning National Parks board members [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#ENVIRONMENT JANUARY 17, 2018 / 3:01 PM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

U.S. Interior Department blasts resigning National Parks board members

Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ

(Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday said it welcomed the mass resignation of members of the National Parks Service advisory board, saying they had ignored sexual harassment cases and lied about how they were treated by the Trump administration.

The sharply worded statement underscores the tensions between the President Donald Trump’s administration and some public employees over Trump’s efforts to roll back environmental protections and boost development of federal lands.

Seven of the service’s 10 advisory board members submitted their resignations recently, panel chairman and former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles told Reuters on Tuesday, saying the Trump administration had ignored their requests for a meeting.

“We welcome their resignations and would expect nothing less than quitting from members who found it convenient to turn a blind eye to women being sexually harassed at National Parks,” Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift said in an emailed statement.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-environment-parks/u-s-interior-department-blasts-resigning-national-parks-board-members-idUSKBN1F62Q0