Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) condemned the Trump Administration after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced today that nearly two dozen national monuments, including the Hanford Reach in Washington state, are under review and will open to public comment starting May 12th. Sen. Murray worked with local and regional stakeholders in the Tri-Cities for years to protect the Reach, which President Bill Clinton designated a national monument in June 2000.
“For nearly two decades, the Hanford Reach in southeastern Washington has symbolized our state’s rich appreciation of public lands and the wonderful collaboration that happens at the community level. Re-litigating the Reach is not only unnecessary but also doubles down on widespread fears about the Trump Administration’s singular focus on rolling back protections for some of our country’s most prized public spaces. I urge people in Washington state to use the 60-day window for comments to make their voices heard—loud and clear– so this Administration knows exactly what these protections mean to our state’s history, our state’s culture, and our state’s economy.”
The Reach is the last and longest free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River. It was the nation’s first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-managed National Monument. The Reach encompasses roughly 200,000 acres of land and 51 miles of the Columbia River and is critical habitat for fall Chinook salmon.
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