Administration Moves to Permit New Coal Plants Harmful to Beloved Public Spaces

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new plan to offer public lands for coal mining adjacent to or near Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reef national parks and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has been revealed. This plan directly threatens protected and beloved public spaces.

Following is a reaction from Bobby McEnaney, director of land conservation at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“These are world‑class public lands and should be treasured, not trashed. Allowing dirty, polluting coal mining at the doorstep of Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Grand Staircase–Escalante will destroy exactly what makes these places singular: clean air, dark skies, thriving wildlife, and the economies they sustain. The spaces should be withdrawn.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).