Letter to President's Energy Advisor

Dear Brian Deese, Senior Energy Advisor,

Let me count the ways the Inter-Tribal Coalition Proposal for a Bears Ears Monument is Divisive, Defective, and, Discriminatory:

Designation of such a gigantic National Monument is a privilege that President Obama has already used to excess.  He and his environmental cronies have preyed upon the public lands of the West using multi-million dollar campaigns and media spin to justify such actions.  And you wonder why a line has to be drawn in the sand?  Those ill-conceived extreme actions in Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, California, Maine and Arizona are still negatively reverberating throughout the country.  Such actions are contrary to federal laws, and the Bears Ears proposal has disaster written all over it. 

 Initially the proposal by the Coalition - though perhaps well intended by some – has now started to unravel.  The campaign has relied excessively on the power of money instead of truth, which gathered in leaders who could be bought.  Local Native People, are not so easily hoodwinked, and voted out some of these coalition representatives in the last election.  Top down, hand-picked coalition leaders do not, and will never represent a whole tribe, especially ones who never had a chance to vote on such a designation and whose relatives left this area for very good reasons of their own centuries ago.

Rural Americans. Native and Anglo alike, who live and depend upon this rural landscape in San Juan county have been good stewards.  Like urban residents, we too are upset when looting happens in our neighborhoods.  We don’t condone it, nor do we initiate it. We are tired of being categorized in that way, as you would be too, if the national press only publicized looting and destruction in the cities you live in.  We are one of the poorest counties in the nation, and we resent this discriminatory act which would further curtail our chances of economic success. Our county needs multi-use sections of land to support water, power, and road infrastructure, as well as schools, hospitals, and other facilities. The Federal Government does not have a good track record in paying their bills nor in dealing with rural people. Another Monument in Utah will only cause more problems and mistrust.  We cannot jeopardize important services and education by stopping energy production. Nor can tourists afford to drive to this isolated area, without fuel.  

This proposal is very divisive.

The proposal requests actions by the Secretaries and the President that are clearly contrary to law. As an NGO, the Coalition lacks jurisdiction to make such a request, and the proposal itself disregards no less than 18 land use planning efforts.  A NGO should never -- no matter how much foreign money it accepts -- have the power to trump sovereign State rights, nor duly elected officials.  No one in the Four Corners area voted for SUWA, CLF, or Grand Old Broads for their representatives.  Globalists and extreme environmental organizations which seek to weaken this republic, do not represent us.

The POTUS has certain steps that must be complied with prior to designating a monument. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) is supposed to be reviewed and managed in accordance with this act. The Advance Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Park Service Preservation statutes have hoops that need to be jumped through.

At the state level the State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) are all supposed to be contacted and considered. We question whether an environmental assessment has even been completed, yet it’s a rule designated by CEQ.  These are just a few of the reasons we are so against, having another National Monument in the State of Utah, and in our backyard.  Utah has already committed 66% of their land to the “public” for various state and federal parks or monuments. What have we gotten back:  Over-promoted areas attracting herds of tourists more concerned about taking selfies against a beautiful backdrop than protecting the culture and history. If you want to have this land truly protected, work with local county residents; get them on your side, and scale this gigantic 1.9 million acres to a Conservancy area in the Cedar Mesa area only. 

Additional reasons why I am against a Monument are contained in this document. http://sanjuancounty.org/documents/Advisability%20of%20Designating%20the%20Bears%20Ears.pdf

Sincerely,

Janet Wilcox, co-founder of Blue Mountain Shadows

A Region Magazine of culture and history serving the Four Corners Area