REI Apologizes for ‘Mistake’ Supporting Interior Secretary – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt of a lengthy posting by REI on its website on April 9.
Are you an REI customer concerned about Trump’s cuts to national parks? Then the co-op has a message for you: We messed up.
In an extraordinary announcement posted to REI’s social media accounts on Wednesday, April 9, REI’s new president spoke directly to the retailer’s millions of customers. Mary Beth Laughton, a longtime board member who officially took the reins of the company on March 31, said REI had “made a mistake” by signing a January letter in support of Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
REI joined dozens of other outdoor groups in the letter, including the nonprofit PeopleForBikes, the Outdoor Industry Association, and many other advocacy organizations.
The co-op signed the letter because it “wanted a seat at the table,” Laughton said in her video message. But in the months since then, Laughton acknowledged that Burgum and Trump have made decisions that endanger access to public lands, causing REI members to “share their disappointment” with the co-op.
As a result, she officially retracted REI’s endorsement of Burgum, who oversees the National Park Service as part of his job as Interior Secretary.
“Signing that letter was a mistake,” Laughton said in a video posted to Instagram. “The actions that the administration has taken in regards to public lands are completely at odds with the values of REI.”
Click here to read the full posting by REI.
