WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, a U.S. District court announced that legal challenges to the Trump administration’s move to strip Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments of protections will be heard in Washington, D.C. The decision is a setback for the administration, which pushed to have the case heard in Utah. The judge also stated that Sec. Zinke’s Department of the Interior must give Tribal Nations and other affected parties advance notice of mining activities proposed within the original monument boundaries.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Today the Department of the Interior released draft management plans for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. The proposed plans leave most of Bears Ears without protections, and open significant portions of Grand Staircase to dirty fuel development. The management plans are moving forward for public comment despite current legal challenges to the Trump administration’s illegal actions to shrink the monuments.
Monday’s report in the Washington Post further proves that the Trump administration’s national monument review has been a predetermined exercise from the very beginning, designed to prioritize extractive uses of protected public lands and waters. It is clear that the Department of the Interior repeatedly ignored science, public opinion, local economic benefits, cultural resources and all other available evidence to arrive at recommendations to eliminate protections for national monuments.
Salt Lake City -- Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is scheduled to visit Salt Lake City tonight where he’ll be participating in Pioneer Day celebrations. His visit comes just a day after news broke that the Interior Department ignored the benefits of public lands in their review of national monuments-- a review that ultimately led to the illegal elimination of Bears Ears National Monument and significant reductions in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. In advance of Zinke’s visit, Utahns are taking to social media to oppose Zinke’s efforts to sell out public lands using #StandwithBearsEars, #SaveGrandStaircase and #zinkesoldout.
Internal Interior Department documents publicized today by the Washington Post confirm that Sec.
PHOENIX -- Rep. Gosar (R-AZ) has introduced an amendment to an Interior Department funding bill that would withhold funding to manage Ironwood Forest National Monument, de-facto stripping the area and its resources of protections afforded by the monument.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Lujan Grisham introduced legislation to safeguard and enhance national monuments. The America’s Natural Treasures of Immeasurable Quality Unite, Inspire, and Together Improve the Economies of States (ANTIQUITIES) Act is the House companion to Sen. Udall’s bill already introduced in the Senate.
Salt Lake City, UT - Today concludes the scoping period for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The planning efforts will focus only on areas designated in President Trump’s proclamation and will exclude almost a million acres of lands rich with sensitive resources. Sierra Club Utah helped generate over 8,700 public comments that stridently opposed the BLM moving forward with the planning process.
Ashley Soltysiak, Utah Chapter Director made the following statement
This afternoon, Native American Community members and community groups gathered in front of the Bureau of Land Management State Office to demonstrate opposition to the Trump administration’s handling of public lands decisions in Utah.
The House Natural Resources Committee today will hold a hearing on Rep. John Curtis’ H.R. 4532 “Shash Jaa National Monument and Indian Creek National Monument Act.” The bill would not only codify President Trump’s illegal cuts to Bears Ears National Monument but also delegate management of the monument to local officials and tribal representatives hand-picked by the Utah delegation, foregoing input from Tribal governments. Management plans laid out in the bill exclude three of the five tribes that advocated for Bears Ears protection.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Interior Secretary Zinke finally released full recommendations for the future of the country’s national monuments. The recommendations follow a sham review by Secretary Zinke and call for reductions to Gold Butte and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments, while recommending a rollback of protections for six of other monuments, opening them to destructive resource extraction.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, President Trump eliminated protections for vast portions of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah, effectively abolishing the two monuments. The proclamation repeals 85% of the Bears Ears National Monument and cuts Grand Staircase-Escalante by almost half.