"Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke acted Monday to ban mining in a 30,000-acre spot near Yellowstone National Park, saying it’s not an appropriate spot for mineral extraction.

The area in the southwestern part of Zinke’s home state of Montana is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, and its mineral rights are managed by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management.

Zinke’s order, announced in Montana, bans all mineral extraction, including drilling and gold and silver mining, except for any preexisting claims, for 20 years, the maximum allowable by law. It extends a previous two-year ban, set to expire next month, that former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell put in place to study a longer-term ban."

Timothy Cama reports for The Hill October 8, 2018. [2]