Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Legal Challenges Will Be Heard in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, a U.S. District court announced that legal challenges to the Trump administration’s move to strip Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments of protections will be heard in Washington, D.C. The decision is a setback for the administration, which pushed to have the case heard in Utah. The judge also stated that Sec. Zinke’s Department of the Interior must give Tribal Nations and other affected parties advance notice of mining activities proposed within the original monument boundaries.

In response to the decision Ashley Soltysiak, Director for the Utah Sierra Club stated, "We are pleased but not surprised by today's DC District Court decision.  These cases highlight the assault on public lands in our state and have critical implications for every national monument in this country. This represents an important step forward for the protection public lands across the country in the face of a callous and greedy administration."

“Today’s decision is a positive step in holding Trump and Zinke accountable for their illegal efforts to sell out public lands. Their attempts to slash protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments have left these areas exposed to destruction. It’s heartening that mining claims in these special places will not be able to proceed in secret. We hope to see full protections upheld before more damage is done to these places of irreplaceable cultural, natural, and scientific value,” said Dan Ritzman, Land, Water and Wildlife director for Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign.