Following Secretary Zinke’s announced recommendation regarding the Bears Ears National Monument, Senator Hatch issued the following statement:
This is an unquestionable victory for Utah. While I am encouraged to see Secretary Zinke recommend diminishing the size of the monument in line with the original intent of the Antiquities Act, as envisioned by President Teddy Roosevelt and the Congress of the early 1900s, I am even more grateful for the thoughtful and inclusive process that led us to this point. Secretary Zinke heard from everyone, community leaders, conservationists, tribal leaders, from those who clearly opposed any monument to those who attempted to shout him down while he was visiting our state. This recommendation reflects a balance of our shared priorities of protecting this land and the antiquities that are found on it while still preserving local involvement, and taking into consideration the needs of the local communities.
I hope these efforts will serve as a positive blueprint for Secretary Zinke’s future monument reviews, and I thank both he and President Trump for giving Utahns a voice in this process.
Timeline of Senator Hatch working with the Trump administration to give Utahns a voice in protecting Bears Ears:
- On January 12, Senator Hatch meet with then Interior Secretary-designate Ryan Zinke ahead of his confirmation, where tells Zinke that his support for his confirmation would depend largely on Zinke’s commitment to the public lands issue.
- On January 27, five days after the inauguration of President Trump— Senator Hatch engaged President Trump in the Oval Office for over an hour in a discussion that focused specifically on the public lands issue.
- On February 22, Hatch reports to state legislature on efforts with White House to address Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments [LINK]
- On April 5, Senator Hatch spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of reviewing the Bears Ears monument designation.
- On April 20, Senator Hatch traveled to San Juan County and spoke to local stakeholders about the Bears Ears monument designation.
- On April 26th, President Trump signed an executive order that would require Secretary Zinke to review the size and scope of national monuments larger than 100,000 acres created since 1996.
- President Trump specifically recognized Senator Hatch and handed Senator Hatch the pen that he used to sign the executive order.
- Following the signing, Senator Hatch met privately with President Trump and Vice President Pence to discuss the review and next steps for Bears Ears.
- On May 7, Senator Hatch arrived with Secretary Zinke in Utah to begin Zinke’s listening tour to review the Utah monument designations.
- On May 8, Navajo County Commissioner Rebecca Benally thanked Senator Hatch for giving a voice to the Bears Ears local tribe members.
- On May 25, Senator Hatch—along with Utah’s congressional delegation—wrote a letter to Secretary Zinke, urging the full recession of Bears Ears.
