Trump Administration Formalizes Plans to Degrade Utah Monuments

WASHINGTON  – The Bureau of Land Management today finalized its plans to open Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah to drilling and other extractive activity.  The Trump administration tried to gut these two monuments in December 2017.

 

The following is a statement from Sharon Buccino, senior director for lands at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

 

“These plans are atrocious, and entirely predictable. They are the latest in a series of insults to these magnificent lands by the Trump administration that began when Trump illegally dismantled Bears Ears and Grand Staircase at the behest of corporate interests two years ago.  We stand with the five Tribes and the millions of Americans who vigorously oppose this degradation and giveaway of our public lands, and we will continue to challenge the unlawful dismantling of these Utah treasures in court.”

 

NRDC and partners sued the Trump administration in January 2018 to challenge its unlawful attempt to roll back the Utah national monuments.  Last July, the BLM issued its proposed management plans.

 

 

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at NRDC.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​

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