Chair Grijalva on New Grand Staircase-Escalante Management Plan: “Never Mind the Law – The Trump Administration is Destroying Protected Places”

Washington, D.C. – Today the Trump administration released a new Monument Management Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that seeks to open hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands to new oil, gas, and coal extraction and other destructive uses. The new plan is a direct result of President Trump’s illegal decision unilaterally to shrink monuments established under the Antiquities Act – a decision that faces an ongoing court challenge in which more than 100 members of Congress signed an amicus brief opposing the administration’s position.

The new plan comes amidst an ongoing Government Accountability Office investigation into a potential violation of appropriations law, which prevents the Department of the Interior from spending funds to conduct leasing or preleasing activities in certain established national monuments.

“The Trump administration is wasting taxpayer dollars that should go to protecting our public lands and using them to open important places to destructive fossil fuel extraction,” said Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). “Never mind the climate, never mind the law, never mind public opinion – they continue to destroy our protected places for the benefit of their industry friends. This is a dangerous precedent for all our national monuments, and everyone who supports our public lands should be concerned about this shameless giveaway campaign.”

Press Contact

Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

(202) 225-6065 or (202) 578-6626 mobile

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