Showing posts with label Antiquities Act. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Antiquities Act. Show all posts

Sunday, October 8, 2017

~~ Bear Essentials ~ Oct. 8, 2017~~


Quote of the week: “It is often said we now live in two Americas. Nowhere is that description truer then when it comes to land owned by the federal government. In the United States east of the Rockies, the federal government owns just 4 percent of all land. But west of the Rockies, the federal government owns more than half of all land including almost two thirds of all land in Utah. When an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy owns and manages more than half the land in your state, that is a recipe for disaster.”               Senator Mike Lee
“Creating too large national monuments — results in agencies lacking the necessary resources to adequately manage sites. The federal government currently has a backlog of $18.62 billion in maintenance projects. A better approach is to right-size monuments and allow for limited economic activity in areas where there won’t be damage.” 
v National Monuments Discussed by Heritage Foundation Washington DC (10-4)  Includes: Senator Mike Lee, Congressman Rob Bishop, Matt Anderson, Ryan Benally, New England fisherman, and Maine sportsman. The Antiquities Act was also discussed.  This was very informative.  Listen and Learn..

 “In the nearly fifty years since it was signed into law, the ESA has done more to impede economic activity, obstruct local conservation efforts, and give federal bureaucrats regulatory control over private property, than it has done to protect endangered species."    Senator Mike Lee

v KUER Looks a Bears Ears Stories   Local interviews with Judy Fahys

v Brief History of Recapture Canyon  A video series compiled by Monte Wells

v Consider Donating to Free Range Report (Majorie is a non-NGO funded, patriot who deserves our support and thanks.  No one has helped San Juan County more.)

                         
Good News Bears
~Mr. Zinke has ordered all his agencies to put a priority on active management against wildfires. “We are spending $2 billion a year fighting fires, money that could be going to far better conservation efforts,” he says, visibly annoyed. ~Such mismanagement is what drives Western frustration, which threatens to become a new Sagebrush Rebellion. “Some of the anger is that our grand bargains have been broken, and those bargains said that you had wilderness, but you also have grazing; you could also hunt and fish,” Mr. Zinke says. Now Westerners “watch these catastrophic fires, and they’ve lost any faith that the federal government is capable of being a good steward.”
“We will hold people accountable when we are informed that they have failed in their duties and obligations,” Bernhardt
There is a reason we allow presidents to undo the actions of their predecessors. A president who could unilaterally set policy forever would have far too much power and be free of political checks and balances.  President Barack Obama designated most of his record-setting monuments during the twilight of his second term, long after the threat of electoral defeat had passed. Free of political checks, he ran wild with this power.”

Federal lands included in Bears Ears and other national monuments need management by local people on the ground , not by judges in black robes. A starting point would be to require approval by state congressional delegations of any national monument designated in their state. Let state wildlife managers have more say in whether grizzlies are removed from the endangered species list. Entrust Indian tribes with management of their antiquities as they already are with Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  Most of Bears Ears is under the purview of the Bureau of Land Management. It is time to return to the BLM motto: “Land of many uses”—not land of no uses.” 
n  Standing in Another Man’s Shoes   by Jim Stiles, Canyon Zephyr editor

 
Bad News Bears         
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                                     Documenting Bears Ears “No Monument” efforts since July 2016

Monday, July 17, 2017

Paul Gosar, Arizona Congressman, Fights Against Government Overreach



Rep. Paul Gosar (Arizona)  to Sharon Holmes (Nevada) :  

"In general, the ability to set aside federal land rested with Congress -- however the presidential power to establish national monuments on federals lands was established via the Antiquities Act of 1906.  The law was enacted at the turn of the 20th century because of concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Indian ruins and artifacts-collectively termed "antiquities"-on federal lands in the West.  However, this authority has been misused to limit public access to vast areas of public lands and restrict job-creating economic activities, including responsible energy production and recreation in recent years.
The national monument designation process, as any public land designation, is of particular interest to states where the federal government owns a large chunk of all land. This is the case in many Western states like Arizona whereless than 20% of land is privately held and the federal government manages 24 National Parks, Monument and Recreation Areas - more than any other state in the country. The way lands are administered by the federal government has a direct impact on many of my constituents in a way that can be hard to contextualize for many who live east of the Mississippi River.
Under the Obama Administration, this century-old law was used as an excuse for the executive branch to lock up millions of acres of land and water against the will of both Congress and local stakeholders. The 1.35 million acre land grab for Bears Ears National Monument provides a case-in-point. During his waning days in office, President Obama unilaterally designated this national monument, locking up land over and above the nearly 550 million acres of land and water he had already added to the federal footprint, despite no significant local support and unified opposition from the Utah congressional delegation.
I fought this unjustifiable overreach from President Obama and pushed to give voice to local concerns from citizens and experts on the ground. To ensure public participation in decision to designate national monuments, I introduced H.R. 1495, the Arizona Land Sovereignty Act.  This legislation would prohibit further extension or establishment of national monuments in Arizona, except by express authorization of Congress.  In addition, I am a cosponsor on H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. This legislation would guarantee public participation in national monument decisions by requiring that any large-scale presidential designation be subjected to the National Environmental Policy Act.  Additionally, it will only allow a President to provide emergency protections for a genuinely threatened site of up to 5,000 acres.
Unfortunately, the narrative spun by radical environmentalists is that anyone who does not support top-down, command-and-control land grabs as exercised by former President Obama is an enemy of our national treasures.  This simply is not trueThe current debate is not over whether to protect precious natural and historic sites, but how.  I believe firmly that there should be input by the public, interested parties, and others affected by the decision to designate a new parcel of land before a decision is made.  I have supported legislation that protects new national and historic sites but I also believe that open-ended, transparent participation is critical, so I will support legislation that encourages this process.  Regardless of what political party controls the government, these initiatives make sense. 
As the Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I look forward to working alongside my fellow members to enact commonsense reforms in the House of Representatives that preserve our treasured lands while respecting local stakeholders and our sacred separation of powers. I am especially encouraged by President Trump's nomination of former Western Caucus member Ryan Zinke as the Secretary of the Department of Interior. Secretary Zinke, having represented a state that was 30% federally owned, understands both the majesty and importance of our land as well as the unique relationship that Western states and the federal government have on matters of land use. I will continue to fight for policies that respect local decision-makers as well as our Constitution across any area of policy, especially land management.
Again, I appreciate your thoughts and concerns.  It is an honor to serve Arizona as part of its congressional delegation.  Your suggestions are always welcome, and if ever I may be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.  To receive the latest legislative updates and news you can sign up for my e-newsletter at gosar.house.gov."
Sincerely,
(signed)
Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S.
Member of Congress

Saturday, June 17, 2017

~~ Bear Essentials ~ June 17, 2017 ~~



Rebecca Benally is adamantly opposed to the monument and said it's "insulting" that out-of-state tribes and special interests are politicizing Native American heritage to push a monument locals don't want. “My constituents are Utah Navajos who have historically been forgotten or bullied by both the federal government and their own tribe. Now so-called environmentalists and their corporate benefactors are adding their own chapter to this sad story, using a few members of our community who are desperate for a paycheck to advance the agenda of outside interests." 

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Issues Impacting San Juan County Utah
n  Thank you all who attended the White Mesa Mill hearing this week, especially those who spoke and helped publicize it.  Public comment on the White Mesa Mill will be accepted through July 31.  Mail to dwmrcpublic@utah.gov

n  For the most part all comments pro and con were civilly presented and received.  There were a few exceptions.  This article on Commonsensorship has lots of good advice on how to disagree.


n  US Withdrawal from Paris Accord Beneficial for Colorado  Congress never authorized the $3 billion Obama committed to the “Green Climate Fund,” nor the regulatory scheme he considered as strong as a treaty, nor any other part of the Paris deal. Obama never even asked. He knew Congress would not sacrifice our economy for a political agenda, especially for no environmental gain. Researchers at MIT say if every nation met its Paris commitments, global temperature increases might drop 0.2 degrees by the end of the century.”
                         


Good News Bears

n  Rebecca Benally Interviewed by KSJD Regarding Recommendation
n  NPR Looks at Bears Ears Issues  Phil did great, but it was not a balanced program.  Listen and decide, yourself.


                                                                               
Bad News Bears
(I sent the author the file documenting the Oct. 2014 CLF meeting where it clearly shows that the Conservation Lands Foundation was manipulating Native tribes. On file at FB: Save the Bears Ears)
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                                     Documenting Bears Ears “ No Monument” efforts since July 2016

Updated article June 14:  75,437 pro monument form letters sent in during Monument Review Period