Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Outdoor clothing company falsely claims administration is selling public land

The outdoor clothing company Patagonia is waging an over-the-top campaign against President Donald Trump, claiming he "stole" land that remains under control of the federal government.
Customers looking to buy a pair of $79 yoga pants are immediately bombarded with political activism against the Trump administration. "The president stole your land," a large black banner reads, directing users to "take action" against the Department of the Interior's decision to reduce the size of two federal monuments and create three new ones.
One of the monuments in question is Bears Ears in Utah, which has been a monument for less than a year. Former president Barack Obama unilaterally seized 1.35 million acres for the monument on Dec. 28, 2016, just weeks before leaving office. Obama designated over two times as many acres as federal land than all other presidents combined.
Patagonia has upped its political activism in light of Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke's recommendation to Trump to reduce the monument designation of Bears Ears to 201,876 acres. Grand Staircase-Escalante, a controversial designation by former president Bill Clinton in an attempt to assuage environmentalist donors before the 1996 election, was also reduced.

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