Dear Brian Deese, Senior
Energy Advisor
The
residents of San Juan County, which include the Navajo and Ute tribes,
strongly oppose the designation of a Bears Ears National Monument as proposed
by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. Emotion aside, there are lawful,
valid reasons why we oppose this monument. The proposal itself is
severely deficient and requests actions by the President that are contrary
to law.
In
the proposal, the Coalition makes claims of “rampant looting” and “grave
robbing” and states that “more than a dozen serious looting cases were reported
between May 2014 and April 2015.” However, those claims were never cited,
much less verified. In fact, those claims are in stark contrast with reports
from local law enforcement, the US DOI briefing on looting activities, and the
BLM.
The
Coalition does not have the local tribes’ best interest in mind. They proved
that by ignoring the entire Aneth Chapter of the Navajo Nation by submitting
the chapter's 2010 resolution in support of the monument as part of their
October 2015 official proposal, when in fact the chapter rescinded in
August of 2015 and officially announced their opposition to the monument.
Many
surveys have been generated regarding public opinion on the proposed monument.
The one that the Coalition most often promotes claims “55% of Utahns support a
Bears Ears National Monument.” This poll in particular was conducted by Mike
Matz from Pew Charitable Trusts organization. It should be noted that Matz
headed the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA-one of the major financial
proponents for the monument) from 1993-2000. He used Public Opinion
Strategies and the Benenson Strategy Group whose motto is “BSG is a strategic
research consultancy that marries language expertise with innovative research
to frame choices so that your brand is the only answer.” http://www.sltrib.com/news/4224034-155/poll-most-utahns-favor-a-bears. The poll included a phone survey of only 600
registered voters in Utah, yet not one San Juan County resident nor one Native
American, was surveyed. Those two populations are the ones that will be most
affected by this monument. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/08/11/new-poll-utahans-support-protections-for-bears-ears-area.
These
are just a few of the reasons that locals, myself included, are so against this
proposed monument. If it was the right thing to do, there would be at least
some support from local Navajos, Utes, Anglos, and Hispanics alike - but there
is not. If you want this land to continue being protected, because it is
protected by BLM, Forest Service, and the good stewards of San
Juan, please work with local county residents and elected officials.
A
National Monument should be an honor to an area, not a punishment – and it
should not be done TO the residents, but rather WITH the residents. I am
attaching a copy of a conversation I had with a Navajo man who is a life-long
resident of Bluff, Utah. Whether Bears Ears becomes a monument or not, the U.S.
Department of Interior, the Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and the President of the United States himself needs
to see that the Bears Ears National Monument proposal is nothing but
a Trojan Horse that will undoubtedly destroy this area.
Jami
Bayles