DC Report. "Bureau of Land Management is leasing land to oil and gas companies in parts of Utah rich with archaeological sites at fire-sale prices that haven't been adjusted for inflation since 1987."
The Hill. "A coalition of 91 groups with ties to public lands sent a letter Monday asking that acting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) head William Pendley immediately resign or face removal from his post."
NPR Utah. Why are we having a firesale of public lands in San Juan County? “This area has more archaeological sites than any other area open to oil and gas drilling in the United States." - Josh Ewing, Friends of Cedar Mesa.
Salt Lake Tribune. "The BLM has yet to fully survey these lands for ancient Native American [sacred objects]; critics charge that the agency is putting these cultural resources at risk and promoting energy development over other uses, such as historic preservation and recreation."
Documents reveal Interior officials worked with the conservative group, Americans For Prosperity (AFP), to rescind the original Bears Ears National Monument.
The Salt Lake Tribune. "Conservation groups called the Pendley appointment an alarming choice, while Western ranchers called it a welcome move that shows the Trump administration is serious about opening public lands to all uses, including mining and ranching."
Bloomberg Environment. Is the BLM avoiding its federal trust responsibility?
Washington Post, Associated Press. "A government watchdog will investigate whether the U.S. Interior Department broke the law by making plans to open up lands cut from a Utah national monument by President Trump to leasing for oil, gas and coal development."
BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH (May 29, 2019) – The Interior Department continues to push forward with its Monument Advisory Committee (MAC) for the so-called Shash Jáa and Indian Creek Units despite pending legal challenges to the Trump Administration’s decision to shrink the Bears Ears National Monument into these two, much smaller units. Specifically, the Interior Department is conv
Office of Senator Tom Udall (NM). Senator Udall takes the lead in protecting the original boundaries of Bears Ears, asking the acting Secretary for a specific commitment to leave existing national monument boundaries intact as originally intended before the Senate votes on his nomination for Secretary of the Interior.