Congressman Ruben Gallego praised the Biden Administration for restoring the conservation protections of Bears Ears Monument. Located in Utah, the monument’s size was severely cut by the Trump Administration in 2017, calling restrictions on mining and other energy production on the land a “massive land grab” that “should never have happened.” The Trump Administration’s decision made mineral extraction possible on the land considered sacred to five tribes, including the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute tribes.
Gallego vocally opposed the size reduction and repeatedly called for the restoration of the monument. In 2017, Rep. Gallego introduced H.R. 4518, the Bears Ears National Monument Expansion Act.
In 2019, Rep. Gallego and now Interior Secretary Deb Haaland introduced legislation to restore and expand protections for the Bears Ears National Monument.
In April, Rep. Gallego and Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva sent a letter to the Biden Administration requesting the restoration of the boundaries of the Monument.
“The restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument is proof of the Biden Administration’s commitment to listen to and engage with Tribal communities,” Gallego said in a press release. “Bears Ears is sacred, and restoring conservation protections is a necessary action to right the wrongs of the previous administration’s callousness and disregard of Indigenous peoples. As a leader in the House of Representatives who first called for the restoration of Bears Ears in 2017, I look forward to joining the Biden White House for the signing of the executive order and applaud the Administration for not only following the advice of Members of Congress, but for listening to and respecting the voices of the Navajo Nation, Hopi, Zuni, Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute.”
The White House stated in a memo, “The President’s protection of these three national monuments is among a series of steps the Administration has taken to restore protections to some of America’s most cherished lands and waters, many of which are sacred to Tribal Nations.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox disagreed with the decision to restore Bears Ears, USA Today reported. In a joint statement, he and other Republicans in Utah called it “disappointing, though not surprising,” and argued that legislation rather than an executive order should establish the land-use rules for the area.
“For the past ten months, we have consistently offered to work with the Biden Administration on a permanent, legislative solution, one that would end the perpetual enlarging and shrinking of these monuments and bring certainty to their management,” Cox said in a joint statement.
