It's time to sink the Blueways Order

This column is an open call for Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to disavow the National Blueways Order. If you are wondering what a “Blueway” is, you are not alone. Few in Wyoming knew until word spread that the Department of the Interior wanted to designate the Yellowstone River Watershed as a “National Blueway” under Secretarial Order 3321.

So what is a Blueway? According to Interior official Rebecca Wodder, a Blueway is a “pat on the back” that will bring “recognition to big river systems.” The consistent message from Interior is that the program is voluntary, collaborative, and non-regulat...