Ige joins 5,000 to support national marine monument

Gov. David Ige was one of more than 5,000 Hawaii residents who submitted letters and petitions in support of the Papahanau­mokuakea National Marine Monument during the 60-day comment period for the Trump administration’s review of 27 national monuments created by previous presidents.

The comment period ended Monday.

Ige hand-delivered his letter of support to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at the Western Governors’ Association meeting in Montana in late June.

The monuments under review, including the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument, were created under the authority of the 1906 Antiquities Act.

Papahanaumokuakea, covering the waters surrounding the North­western Hawaiian Islands, was established in 2006 by President George W. Bush and expanded last year by President Barack Obama.

Under executive order issued by President Donald Trump, Zinke was tasked with ensuring that each monument reflects the requirements and original objectives of the Antiquities Act, including a provision that protected areas not exceed “the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”

Zinke must also consider whether enough federal resources are available to properly manage the designated areas. Additionally, he must weigh, among other things, the concerns of affected state, tribal and local governments, including economic issues.

In his letter, Ige reminded Zinke that he had endorsed the monument’s expansion when it was proposed and that his support had not diminished.

“Reducing the size of the monument by changing the boundaries or weakening protections by allowing commercial extraction would run counter to the carefully considered outcome of an extensive public process,” the governor wrote.

The Papahanaumo­kuakea expansion “struck the right balance” between commercial and environmental interests and won overwhelming local support, he said.