Bill Aims to Strip Protections for Public Lands that Belong to All Americans

Background: Following the President’s illegal rollback of protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments – the largest elimination of protected lands in U.S. history – Rep. John Curtis (UT-3) has proposed a bill in support of the President’s illegal actions. The House Natural Resources Committee will host a second hearing for the bill which aims to codify the president’s actions to decrease protections for Bears Ears National Monument. The bill fails to represent the communities most connected to this invaluable landscape, threatens protections for surrounding national parks and the region’s historic and cultural resources. Learn more about our concerns with the bill here.

Statement by Ani Kame’enui, Director of Legislation and Policy for National Parks Conservation Association

“This bill is just another distraction and attempt to advance the Trump administration’s anti-public lands agenda. The bill calls for decreasing protections for Bears Ears National Monument by over 85 percent, putting the surrounding national park sites like Canyonlands and Natural Bridges National Monument vulnerable to unwanted, destructive development. It also limits the input, value and role of the Tribal Nations who originally proposed the protection for the Bears Ears region. Congress must listen to Tribal leadership today and reject this attempt to erase protections for public lands owned by all Americans.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its 1.3 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.