Stop Trump's Race to Mine Our Monuments
- par: Earthjustice
Last December, President Trump flew to Utah and issued an order to strip protections from millions of acres in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante national monuments.
Now, the administration is scrambling to take advantage of Trump's unlawful order, developing new plans to open these lands up to coal and uranium mining before Americans can have their day in court to protect the monuments.
These lands belong to the public, not to coal and uranium companies that want to plunder their resources, leaving devastation in their wake. Earthjustice is fighting back in court, but we need you to speak up. The Department of the Interior is taking public comments now — tell the Trump administration that these lands aren't up for grabs.
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase are unique wonderlands. Bears Ears contains ancient cliff dwellings, kivas, and priceless petroglyphs, while Grand Staircase is home to a treasure trove of fossils — more than a dozen new dinosaur species have been discovered there since the monument was established.
Trump's hasty plans will allow coal, oil, and gas companies to mine and drill nearly 700,000 acres of lands that rightfully should be part of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. Under this "preferred plan," extractive industries will destroy almost all of the lands unlawfully cut from Grand Staircase — all for the private profit of a few corporations. These lands are far more valuable to the local economy and the local job market if they remain protected.
Trump's plan will also exclude the Bears Ears Tribes — the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe — from truly having a voice in the management of public lands that hold their priceless heritage.
Help us stop this needless destruction. Weigh in now during the public comment period for Trump's new plans for these monuments. These lands don't belong to coal and uranium companies — they belong to all of us.
I'm writing to ask that in developing management plans for Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (including the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits, and Escalante Canyon units) and the Kanab-Escalante Planning Area (KEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prioritize protection of all resources within the original boundaries of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument as it was designated in 1996.
President Trump's Proclamation 9682 is facing ongoing legal challenges. The BLM should continue to manage for the entire 1.9 million-acre area under the existing 1999 Monument Management Plan — choosing the "no action" alternative in its current planning process — instead of wasting taxpayer dollars plotting to destroy this remarkable place and risking the resources that the BLM continues to acknowledge deserve protection.
The BLM should not open any lands to irreversible damage from oil and gas development, coal and other mining, energy infrastructure, and widespread off-road vehicle use. Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument is an invaluable place with resources that deserve protection, not coal mining.
The unique resources of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument are inspiring, and its amazing geological and paleontological wonders deserve protection to ensure scientific and recreation opportunities for people who come from near and far — and the economic benefits that result. Any new proposals the BLM considers must be consistent with protecting monument objects, through means such as designation of new areas of critical conservation concern, adopting a sustainable approach to grazing, and developing adaptive approaches to climate change.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
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