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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will visit Utah next week to review the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. The trip comes after President Biden ordered the Interior Department to consider whether he should reverse the previous administration's drastic decision to shrink each monument.
While Haaland's itinerary has not yet been made public, local officials and organizations are lining up to ensure their voices are heard. In recent months, county and city governments surrounding Bears Ears National Monument have asked the Biden administration to restore its original boundaries. Additionally, five Native American tribes represented by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition have asked the administration to not only restore the original boundaries, but protect the landscape encompassed by its original 1.9 million acre proposal.
“We trust the Biden administration will carefully consider the views of our sovereign nations,” said the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, “and the broad public support for restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument as well as the views of the San Juan County and Grand County commissions — the two state political bodies closest to the monument.”
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Climate change will increase inequality and widen the gap between the poorest households and the richest households. I think that's the kind of thing that's likely to play out in a lot of rural communities that might not be able to adapt quite as easily to things like severe weather events.”
