Threat to Grand Staircase-Escalante Grows after Utah Officials Introduce Joint Resolutions
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As we anticipated, earlier this month, the elected officials behind 2025’s failed public land sell-off attempts—Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02)—introduced joint resolutions to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan using the Congressional Review Act (CRA).
If both chambers of Congress pass the measure by simple majority votes, the plan—which sets expectations for how these remarkable public lands will be managed for recreation, camping and outdoor access, collaboration with Tribal Nations, dark night skies, grazing, and other uses—will be undone and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be barred from issuing another plan that is “substantially the same” in the future. This assault on a national monument marks a significant escalation in Congress’ use of the CRA and, if successful, would lead to chaos on the ground.
SUWA continues to mobilize supporters to contact (or meet with) their members of Congress and urge them to oppose the joint resolutions. Click here to learn what actions you can take now. If you live outside of Utah, reach out to a member of SUWA’s Grassroots Organizing Team to get more involved and find out if your member of Congress is one who could cast a deciding vote.
Already taken action? Thank you! If you’re looking for another way to participate, we encourage you to get creative! We’re seeking artistic works for use in an interactive map for Grand Staircase-Escalante. Create something new or share a piece you’ve already made. This can range from short stories about your experiences in the monument, to quick sketches, to your favorite photographs! Email files to loveforgse@suwa.org.
Take Action to Protect Ten Mile Canyon Area from Oil & Gas Leasing
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting public comments on a proposal to auction off 39 Utah lease parcels spanning more than 54,000 acres at its June oil and gas lease sale. Most parcels are in the scenic Ten Mile Canyon region of southeastern Utah, east of the Green River.
The narrow, rugged Ten Mile Canyon, which winds its way down to the Green River, is home to a diversity of wildlife including desert bighorn sheep and pronghorn. Development of these leases would destroy wildlife habitat, threaten the region’s remote and scenic character, and impact lands proposed for wilderness designation in America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act. The sale includes parcels near the rim of the canyon, above the scenic Labyrinth Canyon stretch of the Green River.
The BLM is required to prioritize the leasing of parcels with “high” development potential while deferring parcels with “low” development potential, or parcels that threaten important resource values (such as wildlife or wilderness-quality lands). In this case, the agency openly admits that the parcels in the Ten Mile Canyon region have low potential for development and contain important resource values yet it still plans to offer them for sale.
The BLM is accepting public comments through Monday, March 30. Please tell the agency to follow the law and keep oil and gas leases out of Utah’s Ten Mile Canyon region!
>> Click here to submit your comments
Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA
SUWA and Partners Win Temporary Reprieve for Red Cliffs NCA as Highway Battle Continues
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In January, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service flipped their own science on its head and reapproved a four-lane, high-speed highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA). The agencies made the decision just two years after they declined to approve the highway right-of-way due to its incompatibility with the values of the NCA, which provides some of the last best habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise.
This is at least the eighth time the Northern Corridor Highway proposal has lurched back to life, and it’s still a terrible idea. The route would carve through the heart of an NCA that Congress specifically set aside to “conserve, protect, and enhance” its values—not to facilitate highway construction and more speculative sprawl. The agencies’ latest decision doesn’t resolve these fundamental conflicts; it just pretends they don’t exist.
SUWA and our coalition partners filed a federal lawsuit challenging the reapproval as illegal under multiple federal laws. The suit also argues that the agencies violated the terms of the 2023 settlement that sent this project back to the drawing board in the first place. Fortunately, the court granted our motion for a preliminary injunction, halting the Utah Department of Transportation’s rush to install fencing, clear vegetation, and move tortoises in advance of any final highway development plan. In granting the injunction, the judge found the conservation organizations’ lawsuit is likely to succeed in showing the highway approval is unlawful.
>> Read our full press statement as well as recent coverage in the Salt Lake Tribune
Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA
Senate Committee Advances BLM Director Nominee Steve Pearce
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Former New Mexico Representative Steve Pearce advanced one step closer to confirmation as director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in early March when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved his nomination during a committee markup with an 11–9 party-line vote. We expect a confirmation vote in the full Senate sometime in the coming weeks.
The markup occurred during the Utah Wilderness Coalition’s Wilderness Week event in Washington, DC, and many of our activists were able to attend, wearing bright green t-shirts with the words, “Don’t Let Steve Pearce Sell Our Public Lands.”
SUWA has publicly opposed Pearce’s nomination, citing concerns about his past positions on public lands and environmental protections. The role of the BLM Director requires a strong commitment to safeguarding public lands, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources—priorities Pearce’s record does not reflect. Instead, he is a longtime player in unsuccessful efforts to prioritize resource extraction and privatize or sell off public lands.
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Wilderness Week Activists Meet the Moment
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In early March, nearly 50 activists descended on Capitol Hill for the Utah Wilderness Coalition’s annual Wilderness Week event. Just days before, we learned that Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) had formally begun the process to fast-track an attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument using the Congressional Review Act (see item at top). While this was not unexpected (we’ve been sounding the alarm since January), it added extra urgency to the week.
Advocates from 21 states (including Utah) held 139 meetings with their elected officials, asking them to: (1) join the 65 House and 18 Senate cosponsors of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and (2) commit to voting against joint resolutions to strike down the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument management plan.
Activist calls, emails, and in-person meetings work! Thanks to your efforts, we’ve gained five new House cosponsors so far in 2026: Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12), Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ-1), and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13). If one of these legislators represents you, please thank them for becoming a cosponsor (and ask your other members of Congress to join them!).
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Stewardship Program Kicks Off 2026 Field Season
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SUWA’s 2026 Stewardship Season is officially underway. Please consider joining us in the field this year!
The Stewardship Program creates opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with the land through hands-on experiential learning. Depending on the project, work includes protecting cultural sites, restoring ecosystems, addressing land use impacts, and installing signage or fencing. We provide the tools and the gloves, you bring the muscle and the passion.
We have a lot of great projects lined up in some truly amazing places this year, including Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, the San Rafael Swell, the West Desert, the Uinta Basin, and more! Visit our Stewardship Project Calendar page to learn more and apply.
We’re currently seeking applicants for the following northern Utah projects in particular:
- April 13-17—Goblin City: Recreation Management and Restoration
- June 15-18—Uinta Basin Springs: Habitat Restoration
- June 25-28—Northern Utah Stewardship 1 (still in development)
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team at volunteer@suwa.org.
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