Biden Restores Beloved National Landmarks, Reversing Trump Cuts | Joe biden

Biden signed three proclamations that increased the boundaries of Bears Ears to 1.36 million acres, while restoring the Grand Staircase-Escalante to 1.87 million acres – both covering vast swathes of southern Utah. He also restored protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine, about 130 miles off the New England coast, and extended the limits of commercial fishing.

The proclamations unraveled actions Trump took, in which he slashed 85% of Bears Ears, leaving large swathes of the site vulnerable to mining and other commercial activity. The Grand Staircase-Escalante has been reduced by approximately half. In 2020, Trump also removed environmental protections from the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine, a marine monument home to more than 1,000 distinct species.

After years of fighting cuts to national monuments, the announcement was a key victory for environmental and indigenous groups. Many expressed their relief and gratitude.

Home Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Indigenous cabinet secretary, fought back tears as she applauded the administration’s actions for “bending the arc of the moral universe to justice.”

“This is a place that must be protected in perpetuity for every American and every child in the world,” she said, referring to Bears Ears.

The monument, which was named after two striking buttes in southeast Utah, includes ancient cliff dwellings and sacred burial sites. It is a place of worship and an important space for ceremonial activities, explained the vice president of the Hopi tribe, Clark Tenakhongva.

“It’s on the same level as any type of church, foundation or facility,” said Tenakhongva, who is also co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. “This is very important for the lifeline of all nations and all people. “

Staff attorney Matthew L Campbell for the Native American Rights Fund, which represents three of the tribes involved in a multi-year legal battle to protect Bears Ears, including the Hopi tribe, said he was very happy this day has finally come.

“The tribes fought long and hard to protect this area,” he said. “It is a sacred place which is inextricably linked to the history of the tribes and who they are as a people and it certainly deserves the protections and we are happy and happy to see that these protections will be restored.”

Shaun Chapoose, Chairman of the Ute Indian Tribe Affairs Committee and member of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition, said in a statement: “President Biden has done what it takes to restore the Bears Ears National Monument. For us, the monument has never disappeared. We will always return to these lands to manage and care for our sacred sites, our waters and our medicines. “

Brad Sewell, senior director of the Oceans Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said he is delighted with the decision and that it will help preserve important marine life and the deep sea coral gardens at Marine National Monument. northeastern canyons and seamounts.

“We are very happy for the country. This action will preserve an amazing place – our newest blue park for generations to come, ”Sewell said.

But some Republican leaders said they were disappointed with the decision and the “winner-takes-all mentality” it represented.

In a statement released with other heads of state, Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said: other protections monuments need and only the action of Congress can deliver.

During Biden’s presidential campaign, he pledged to restore the boundaries of these monuments. Right after its inauguration, it signed a decree obliging the Department of the Interior to examine the monuments and make a decision on whether to restore them.

Last spring, Haaland traveled to Utah to visit two of the monuments, then later recommended that Biden return them to their previous size and protections.