PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Republican governor has asked President Trump to undo Obama’s designation of a national monument in northern Maine.
Gov. Paul LePage asked Trump to take the unprecedented step of returning the land to private ownership in a Feb. 14 letter. Burt’s Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby’s foundation donated the land in hopes of revitalizing a struggling rural area.
The governor said if the land remains a federal monument, Maine should manage it to avoid economic damage.
LePage said he’s hopeful Trump will heed opponents of the monument in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which sent Trump an electoral vote in November.
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said it’s a “real legal question” whether Trump can undo the monument designation.
Quimby’s son Lucas St. Clair didn’t immediately respond to request for comment Wednesday.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)