SUWA Statement on 7.12.23 Senate Energy & Natural Resources Subcommittee Hearing Regarding Bears Ears Land Exchange (S.1405)
July 12, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steve Bloch, Legal Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (801) 428-3981 (steve@suwa.org)
Salt Lake City, UT – SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch issued the following statement regarding S.1405, legislation introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and pending in the U.S. Senate that, if signed into law, will authorize a land exchange between the state of Utah’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (Trust Lands) and the U.S. Department of the Interior. Specifically, the United States would acquire Trust Lands in Bears Ears National Monument and other holdings in Utah in exchange for other Bureau of Land Management lands in the state. This legislation is a companion bill to H.R. 3049, legislation introduced by Rep. John Curtis (R-UT).
“SUWA supports President Biden’s goal of exchanging Trust Lands out of Bears Ears National Monument, which would allow the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service to manage and protect the monument as a single, unified landscape. On the ground, this should mean that the monument’s irreplaceable cultural resources, fossils, and unique flora and fauna are better cared for and preserved for current and future generations. S.1405, like H.R. 3049, would accomplish many of these important goals and we support that outcome.”
Additional Information
- President Biden’s Proclamation on Bears Ears National Monument (October 8, 2021)
- July 7, 2023 Letter from the Bears Ears Commission supporting S.1405.
- July 11, 2023 Letter from environmental organizations supporting S.1405.
- SUWA Statement on 6.22.23 House Natural Resources Public Lands Subcommittee Hearing Regarding Bears Ears Land Exchange (H.R. 3049)
- June 21, 2023 Letter from the Bears Ears Commission supporting H.R. 3049
- June 22, 2023 Letter from environmental organizations supporting H.R. 3049
