Biden Restores and Expands Protections to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments
WASHINGTON – On Friday, President Biden announced three proclamations restoring environmental protections to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah and to Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments off the New England coast. The decision will reinstate and slightly expand the original 1.3 million acre boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and restore the original 1.8 million acre boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante.
In 2017, the Trump Administration removed more than 2 million acres of public lands from the monuments, marking the largest rollback of public lands protection in history and violating the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to protect tribal lands and resources.
Friends of the Earth Fossil Fuels and Lands Campaigner Raena Garcia issued the following statement in response:
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments hold immeasurable cultural and ecological importance for local and Tribal communities. These special places must be defended at all costs from the injustices of the fossil fuel and mining industries. Restoring these national monuments is President Biden’s clearest signal yet that he will protect our public lands and waters for future generations.
Communications contact: Brittany Miller, (202) 222-0746, [email protected]