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The U.S. Interior Department Has a New Mission: To Make Money

  • Zinke adviser says agency’s goal is to boost revenue
  • Agency has already eased regulations on private industry
The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Arizona.

The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Arizona.

Photographer: Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images
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Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. agency that manages the national park system is tweaking its mission to include a new priority: Generating cash.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke aims to retool the agency into a federal profit center focused on increasing energy production, according to a plan laid out by his special adviser, Vincent DeVito.