Letter urges President Biden to keep promise and restore national monuments
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT.
Mason Cummings, TWS
Organizations sent letter urging immediate action from President Biden
Nearly 60 national, regional, and local organizations, on behalf of the millions of members and supporters they represent, sent a letter to President Biden this week asking him to swiftly restore protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine national monuments.
The organizations urge immediate action from the President in keeping with a promise he made during his campaign and in response to his Executive Order, from over 200 days ago, which started a review of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented and illegal rollbacks of national monument protections.
Secretary Haaland recommended restoration in a report to the President in June after visiting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in April.
The letter highlights existing threats to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante from energy development including oil and gas leasing and mining claims. It specifically highlights recent actions that the Biden administration has taken to resume oil and gas leasing on public lands and their consideration of the establishment of a strategic uranium reserve.
The letter raises objections to these policies as they increase the threat of damage in the monuments and potentially impair President Biden from following through on his promise to restore protections.
CONTACT:
Dan Hartinger, Government Relations, The Wilderness Society, (202) 429-2610, dan_hartinger@tws.org
Jennifer Dickson, Senior Communications Manager, The Wilderness Society, (720) 647-9417, jennifer_dickson@tws.org
