Count us among those who consider Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s order to speed up approval of permits to drill for oil and natural gas on public land to be a good thing.

Leave it to Zinke to embrace an antagonistic stance by declaring, “The war on American energy is officially over.” Such hyperbole fits neatly into the Trump administration’s populist narrative that too much government bureaucracy and regulation has prevented the economy from running at full throttle.

But it’s only going to heighten tensions among environmental groups who see a different war brewing – a war on America’s public lands.

Given Zinke’s review of national monuments – seen by many as a thinly veiled attempt to re-open protected lands to development – Thursday’s order seems to reinforce fears of the federal government pandering to private interests.

Read more at The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.