Chair Grijalva Blasts Interior’s Latest Efforts to Shrink Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to Favor Extractive Industries

Washington D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement blasting President Trump’s Department of the Interior final management plans for the reduced Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. Trump’s action today is a continuation of his illegal 2016 decision to shrink both monuments by approximately two million acres.

“President Trump’s campaign to dismantle our national monuments is illegal and unpopular, and the courts are going to overturn it,” said Chair Grijalva. “He and his allies have spent years treating our public lands like treats to fossil fuel and mining companies, and the new giveaway is part of a pattern that won’t end until he’s out of office. This president is willing to inflict lasting damage on our country to benefit his industry boosters, and anyone who invests a dollar in drilling or digging in the newly opened areas should be prepared to lose their bet against public opinion and the strength of our legal system.”

Trump’s illegal reductions of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are still being challenged in federal court.

Press Contact

Media Contact: Monica Sanchez, (202) 225-6065

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