Bears Ears in the News: Lawsuits, Lobbyists, and Letters Aplenty
A sampling of stories from the Bears Ears beat:
Zinke, House GOP escalate feud with Patagonia over shrinking of national monuments - Associated Press via Denver Post, 12/11/17
After outdoor retail giant Patagonia published an attention-grabbing message in response to President Trump's shrinking of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and House GOP leaders fought back. The resulting - and ongoing - feud "raised questions about use of taxpayer resources for political criticism," and sparked a war of words between Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Patagonia CEO Yvon Chouinard.
In late May 2017, as Zinke was conducting a review of national monument designations from the past 21 years to determine if any should be reduced or eliminated, he received a request from Energy Fuels Resources, which operates the White Mesa uranium mill just outside the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. Read more at the above link.
The official word from the company, which unsurprisingly was miffed about the news coverage.
Indian Country News: Why Trump's monument decision worries so many - High Country News, 12/18/17
From the destruction of sacred sites to the diminishing of tribal leaders' role in land management, this piece breaks down the potential implications of Trump's Executive Order on the region's indigenous peoples.
U.S. Justice Department to plaintiffs in five separate lawsuits challenging Trump's monument reductions: make our lives easier, please.