** Biden to restore Bears Ears & Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments
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Friday, October 8, 2021
Moon House, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM ([link removed])

President Biden is expected to issue a proclamation today ([link removed]) confirming the original boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. According to T ([link removed]) he White House ([link removed]) , Biden will reinstate and slightly expand the original 1.35 million acre boundaries of Bears Ears, and restore the
original 1.87 million acre boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante. He is also expected to restore protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, an expanse of sea canyons and underwater mountains off the New England coast.

In 2017 ([link removed]) , President Trump attempted to slash the boundaries of the Utah monuments by 85 and 50 percent, respectively. That attempt was an unprecedented decision that was contested in the courts. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland advised President Biden to restore the original boundaries of the monuments in June. By issuing a new proclamation using his authority under the Antiquities Act, President Biden will remove any legal uncertainty and restore protections to more than two million acres of national public lands.

In anticipation of the announcement, the Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala thanked President Biden for listening to Indigenous tribes and the American people and encouraged him to keep going, saying ([link removed]) , "Now the real work starts. This announcement is only a downpayment on President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative. Scientists warn that we only have a few years to protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and water in order to address the intertwined climate and nature crises. We hope that this proclamation is the first step toward reaching the president’s 30×30 goal. There are many more landscapes across America worthy of protection. Now President Biden has the opportunity to define his legacy as one of America’s great conservation leaders. I hope he’ll take it.”

National parks and monuments have become the backbone of the economy in Southern Utah. In the 25 years since Grand Staircase-Escalante was first protected, it has transformed the region into a hub for outdoor recreation. Interest in Bears Ears has similarly skyrocketed, ironically due to President Trump’s attempts to remove land protections. With full monument status back in place, Congress and the Interior Department need to manage and fund these landscapes to handle the growing crowds, so they’re properly protected for future generations.

The decision to restore Bears Ears is particularly meaningful to the the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni as the region is the ancestral homeland of all five tribal nations. “For us, the monument never went away. We will always return to these lands to manage and care for our sacred sites, waters, and medicines,” said Shaun Chapoose ([link removed]) , a longtime elected Ute tribal leader. “The Monument represents a historic opportunity for the federal government to learn and incorporate our tribal land management practices that we developed over centuries and are needed more now than ever.”


** A bill to end non-competitive leasing
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Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper introduced a bill yesterday ([link removed]) that would end the practice of ripping off taxpayers by leasing public lands for under $2 an acre. Non-competitive leasing is a big problem. It allows oil and gas companies to lock up public lands ([link removed]) , that could be managed for other purposes like wildlife habitat or recreation, for decades. And non-competitive leases are less likely to be drilled, so oil and gas companies only pay negligible rental fees.

The Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala cheered Hickenlooper's bill in a statement yesterday, saying ([link removed]) , “As the Congressional budget reconciliation process continues, eliminating noncompetitive leasing and incorporating other oil and gas reforms—which carry huge financial benefits for taxpayers—must be a priority.”
Quick hits


** Arizona utilities may pay Native communities impacted by coal closures
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Biden to restore Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | KUER ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Guardian ([link removed])


** Fossil fuel industry gets $11 million in subsidies per minute
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Hickenlooper bill targets no-bid auctioning of drilling rights on public lands
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Denver Post ([link removed]) | Grand Junction Daily-Sentinel ([link removed])


** Why do we still have offshore oil wells and how do they work?
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Wildland firefighters sew their own gear
Atlantic ([link removed])
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** Navajo officials request hearing on Chaco buffer zone
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Foreign investors are buying up farmland in the West
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D ([link removed]) eseret News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
The historical connection between Indigenous peoples and Bears Ears is undeniable; our Native American ancestors sustained themselves on the landscape since time immemorial, and evidence of their rich lives is everywhere one looks.”
—Interior Secretary Deb Haaland ([link removed]) , a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico
Picture this


** Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (BLM Flickr ([link removed]) )
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The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument offers opportunities for hunting, grazing, and recreating. From the solitude of lonesome canyons to the excitement of winding rugged backways, this Monument is a part of the our nation's conservation stewardship legacy.

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