Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Utah public lands state. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Utah public lands state. Sort by date Show all posts

Friday, February 17, 2017

Patagonia, and other Fun-hoggery Outdoor Retailers Boycott Utah; Yet Utah Remains the Supreme Outdoor Public Lands State

The 2017 Outdoor Retailers Boycott sounds like spoiled children lost in the wilderness and crying about it!  There is not a state that cares more about public lands, than Utah.   It is ironic that outdoor retailers are boycotting Utah for our failure to support lifestyles of the rich, and sometimes famous.   Bears Ears (temporarily) National Monument is the focal point of this boycott.  Most people in San Juan County are against the heavy handed and very expensive, media driven promotion of this new public "playground."  Utah's position against yet another huge monument, is not for lack of public land support, but distrust of a debt-ridden Federal Government that cannot care for the land.  
"Public policy should never be made in response to boycotts and threats, especially when it won’t have any real impact on those most affected.
Utah will still have a strong outdoor economy-- with or without Patagonia, et al.  Tourists will still come --  sometimes to the detriment of Public Lands. We’ll continue have a strong energy economy. We will protect Bears Ears. We are protecting and will continue to protect Utah’s iconic land and landscapes. We will continue to collaborate with the federal government, which certainly has a role in public land management.
The outdoor retailers say they are leaving Utah because we don’t care about our public lands. Here is a list of facts put together by the Governor’s Office outlining Utah’s commitment to public lands:
  • Utah has the largest active watershed and wildlife habitat restoration program in the United States. The Utah Legislature has partnered with local hunters and the federal government to invest approximately $14 million annually for conservation, and we have restored more than 1.3 million acres since 2005. As of 2016, nearly 500 agencies, organizations, and individuals had contributed to these projects through funding or in-kind assistance.
  • There are currently 253 additional conservation projects underway, which include the rehabilitation and restoration of more than 265,000 acres. Six current and three proposed projects (over 9,000 acres in total) are within the new Bears Ears National Monument area. Another 139 projects and 185,000 acres have been proposed for treatment.
  • Many of our 43 State Parks could be national parks in other states. Based on their management alone, it is abundantly clear that Utahans greatly value these beautiful areas. Per acre, our state parks get more visitors that our national parks, but they do not run the maintenance deficits that occur with our national parks; they are financially much more stable.
  • Utah State Parks runs grant programs such as Rivers Trails Projects and the Land Water Conservation Fund. They also have a review committee that includes a diverse group of land managers and outdoor industry professionals. These projects enhance trails in and around our federal lands. Gov. Herbert’s latest budget proposal includes $1 million for the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant.
  • 67% of Utah land is federally-owned, and that doesn’t include our 43 state parks. All of these areas are supported by exceptional employees and gateway communities, who dedicate countless hours to enhancing outdoor recreation. More than 35 million acres are open to the public.
  • When the federal government shut down in 2013, no other governor in the country stepped up like Gov. Herbert did to reopen the national parks. His actions demonstrated his support, not only for the rural economies that rely on parks but for the visitors coming from around the world. To date, Utah taxpayers have not been reimbursed by the federal government for the full cost incurred to reopen our national parks.
  • Gov. Herbert was the first governor in the nation to create an Office of Outdoor Recreation. A state full of outdoor enthusiasts, Utah continues to lead the way in community, city, county and national involvement when it comes to recreation planning—whether on private, state or federal lands.
  • We recently expanded our annual Outdoor Recreation Summit, which now hosts three regional summits across the state in Ogden, Moab and Cedar City, to address the outdoor industry, regional concerns, and create a welcoming atmosphere for everyone from manufactures to land managers to build relationships. The result is better working relationships and improved close-to-home outdoor recreation.
  • With a $21 million budget, the Utah Office of Tourism plays an integral role in supporting and branding Utah’s federal lands. These efforts have promoted outdoor recreation like no other state in the nation, resulting in double-digit growth for both state and national parks year over year for the last three years.
  • The State of Utah has provided more than $3 million in post-performance tax incentives to outdoor recreation businesses located or with business operations in Utah.
  • Utah created the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board, the first of its kind in the nation, and filled it with state and federal land managers, local advocacy groups of all types, retailers, and manufactures.
  • The state works monthly with all national park superintendents to help create plans that provide the best possible visitor experience. We also partner with advocacy groups that do everything from helping underprivileged youth get outside to partnering with federal land managers to build sustainable trails.
  • Utah State Parks has private business ventures and partnerships with over 230 contractors to provide goods and services that enhance the outdoor experience at our 43 state parks
  • On the other hand if you want to know whose products not to buy?  Start with:  Peak Designs. Polartec, Arc’teryx, Chaco Sandals, Wigwam, and Patagonia.  They're in it for the money,

     often to the detriment of 3rd world countries where labor is cheap.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Understanding the Economic Dilemma of Rural Utah

Charts and graphics showing the burden that Public Lands Bring to Rural Utah and other States

1) Employment in Utah 2007-2016

2) Median Family Income in Utah 2015


This site gives an updated overview of economic factors: 



3) Public land/ (millions of acres controlled by Fed. Gov.) in Western States



This map above illustrates the prevailing concerns of many in the west: Because of the excessive amount of public lands vs. private land, western states are treated more like territories, with little regard for their life style, values, and politics. The great divide is more about the inability to utilize private land because of federal policies created by public land managers.   

How Much Land Does the Federal Gov. Own in the West And Why



Lack of Private Land in San Juan County (only 8%) coupled with Federal Control of Public Lands stifles economic development in rural Utah. San Juan ranks 29th out of 29 Utah counties with a per-capita, annual income of approximately $23,244.  Approximately 29% of San Juan County residents reportedly fall below the Federal poverty line.

Disparity between East States and Western States Sovereignty


4) Existing National Parks, National Monuments and State parks in Utah

 The State of Utah covers 52,696,960 acres. Of that land mass, 35,033,603 acres have been designated into 13 different national parks/monuments.  The federal government inefficiently owns/ runs/ manages 66% of our state!

 For the past two years, National Parks and Monuments were under a two-year deferred maintenance totaling nearly $11.5 Billion. Utah alone was behind $278,094,606 in park maintenance.   Parks/Monuments in Utah are inadequately maintained by the Federal Government.  Chart shows the financial burden ("deferred maintenance") currently felt by the State of Utah: 

(Keep in mind that the Federal Government currently is over 21 TRILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT and it's rising daily.)  National Debt Clock

5) Agencies and Legislation Affecting States with public lands: 

San Juan County is already home to six federal designations/destinations:  Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Canyonlands, Dark Canyon and Grand Gulch Wilderness areas, and Glen Canyon Recreation Area.   
Listed are layers of protection already in place: 
Layers of land protection affecting the West:
1.     1906 Antiquities act,
2.     1935 Historic Sites Preservation Act,
3.     1960/1974 Reservoir Act,
4.     1964 Wilderness Act
5.     1966 National History Preservation Act
6.     1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
7.     1969 National Environmental Protection Act
8.     1974 Archeological & Historic Preservation Act,
9.     1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act,
10. 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act,
11. 1979 Archeological Resources Protection Act,
12. 1980 Amendment NHBA - Exec. Order Protection & Enhancement of Cultural Environment,
13. 1990 Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act,
14. 1996 Indian Sacred Site Protection Act,
15. 2000 Consultation & Coordination with Indian Tribal Government Act
2003 Preserve America Act 


6) Bears Ears/ Public Lands Protections/ Mineral Restrictions

7) The Environmental Money Trail in the US Should Be Investigated

Gutsy journalists need to investigate the $ flow of Sue and Settle litigation over the past 20 years instigated by the Wealthy Green Lobby and its impact on Western States and their economy:   EPA director to End Sue and Settle Pattern
“Scott Pruitt recently issued a directive to end a 20-year string of “sue and settle” cases that have funneled untold millions of tax dollars to environmental organizations. . . About 20 years ago, government agencies stopped collecting data on these settlements, so they could no longer report to Congress on the amount of money involved, or the groups to whom it was being paid. Long-time observers know it amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the recipients are mostly large environmental organizations.”


8)  What San Juan County Does Not Want to Be:  Another Moab

-- Jim Stiles Explains Impacts of Industrialized Tourism -- Canyon Zephyr
--Canyon Zephyr Expose' on Money Trail--Implicates Environmental Powers

Friday, December 16, 2016

Report card for Pro Monument Campaign Gets all D’s

By Janet Wilcox

The campaign driven by the Conservation Lands Foundation over the past two years to designate the Bears Ears in Utah as a National Monument has promoted Disparity, Discrimination, Deceit, Divisiveness, Disillusionment, Dissembling, and Debt.

Disparity between states:
There is a huge disparity between eastern states who have large amounts of private land and thus the wealth, and most western states who have low median incomes and little private land. There is a correlation between private land and wealth.  Former San Juan Commissioner Bill Redd often stated, “The wealth of a people, or a country is always linked to land.”  75.2% of Utah’s land is public. Only 24.8% is privately owned.  Only two other states in the nation have more public land than Utah – Alaska and Nevada.  Our neighbors in Colorado have twice as much private land - 56.7% and their public land is 43.3%.  

San Juan county has an even more dismal ratio-- 92% of the land is already public and is managed by BLM, Forest Service and five existing parks, monuments, and reservations. This is why this is a poor county.  If the option of “multiple use” is done away because of a National Monument,  many jobs that foster self-reliance and freedom from debt will also be impacted, thus there will be even more disparity. Since Obama took office in 2008, he has set aside more than 550 million acres in two dozen monuments — the most of any president in U.S. history.  Such wanton disregard of local economy has become a legacy of disparity and despair, nothing a President of the "United" States should be promoting.


Federally Fueled Discrimination:  
There exists not only discrimination in the United States between those who have private land and those who don’t, it also exists when citizens live in areas where they are prevented from using initiative and free enterprise to earn a better living.  Wealthy lobbies have poured millions into Obama’s environmental campaign for more monuments, which increases the disparity between the haves and the have nots. Other rural areas fighting this same “Folly Green Giant” have the same disadvantage.  Though San Juan County is rich in land, it is ranked 29th out of 29 Utah counties based on per-capita, annual income.  Another layer of discrimination appears when schools become underfunded or under achieving because of environmentally imposed restrictions on lands which can no longer provide funds for school children.  San Juan County’s tax valuation which determines budget decisions, is based on roughly 20 companies. All but two are tied to the land. Even Verizon, which is a leading cellphone provider, is tied to the land. That is why sections of San Juan county land must continue to be multi-use.
Ironically, some areas in the proposed 1.9 million acres do NOT even meet the definition of “public lands.”  This includes 43 grazing allotments, 661 water-right infrastructures, 151,000 acres of state trust land, 18,000 acres of private property, and hundreds of miles of roads and infrastructure which are granted a RS2477 right-of-way.  These lands are legally private or state owned and must continue to be available for private enterprises and access. 

The Environmental Lobby Discredits State Sovereignty, laws, and freedoms.  Lobbies working for the "Folly Green Giant"  make Utah sound like a thief when congressmen and state officials take a stand to protect and use SITLA lands which are scattered throughout the proposed areaMerri Shumway, SJC school board member explains: Four sections of every township was designated at statehood for the purpose of supporting public schools. The State Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) has the responsibility to manage these lands that are in trust for school children in the state of Utah. The lands that do not have the potential to generate revenue are sold off or traded for land that can produce revenue to support public schools. When land is sold, the money from the sale is deposited into the Permanent School Fund. Interest and dividends from the fund are distributed to each public school in the state of Utah each year. Community councils that consist of school faculty and parents of students attending the school make the decision of how the SITLA money is spent.”  Those pockets of state land need to be utilized for the benefit of local schools.

The Environmental Lobby is Dishonest. 
The tribal coalition organized by the Conservation Lands Foundation, is NOT a grass roots effort as advertised, but is planned, paid for, and orchestrated by behind the scenes wealthy millionaires, such as Hansjorg Wyss.  According to Dave Skinner a Montana writer, Wyss has done more than any other man in the world to bring rural states to their knees by donating millions to environmental campaigns.  The PEW Foundation, Hewlet Packard, and dozens of other foundations get tax benefits for donating to environmental causes.  Their $$$ has created a huge slanted campaign for more land. This Green Machine uses scare tactics and hyperbole as it exaggerates what is happening and what will happen if a monument is not designated. Overused phrases such as, “rampant looting” and “desecration of land” has caused environmental hysteria and misled thousands of people who do not see the true picture. By up-playing negativity without giving actual facts, the nation has been led to believe local people don’t care about the land.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Good citizens have been protecting this area for generations, but there will always be those who are up to no good, just as occurs in cities on the east and west coast.  Establishing a monument will not stop that, and in addition increased visitation will only bring more vandalism while eliminating traditional uses. This has occurred in Grand Staircase Escalante since its designation 20 years ago, and we have no reason to believe it will be different here.


A recent incident in the Bears Ears area of Comb Ridge was caused by Fort Lewis College students who were supposedly supervised and educated. They didn’t just leave footprints, but graffiti.  This paradox plagues every preservation effort. In order to protect special places, advocates must get public support. To do that, they need to let the public know why the place is so special, to let the masses in on their secrets. Such a campaign acts as a travel council publicist with many of the same negative effects.
Whether it is outright deceit, or poorly studied economics, the Folly Green Giant, has also promised Native people that there will be new jobs through tourism and “Industrial-strength recreation” (see recent article in Canyon Zephyr by Jim Stiles.) This dangling carrot strategy would replace ranching, and fossil fuel industries in SJC, yet expect people to drive hundreds of miles to get here while utilizing their smart phones and gear which is at least partially dependent upon fossil fuel products.

Tourist towns like Moab and Jackson Hole, Wyoming are too expensive for middle income families to live in. They are sustained by people who must work 2-3 part time jobs to maintain a household.  People who actually reside there aren’t able to purchase homes on minimum wage salaries.  The median household income in San Juan County is already 4th from the bottom in the state, but interestingly both Grand and Wayne county which are adjacent to National parks and Monuments have an even LOWER median income, yet the façade of tourism makes outsiders think things are booming because of all the toursits. (http://img.ksl.com/slc/2607/260770/26077053.jpg)



Divisiveness:   The CLF strategy of forming a native coalition has ended up dividing tribes and sometimes families.  Environmental CEO's and strategists never made any effort to inform tribal members at large, but instead gathered hand picked consultant/leaders to represent their cause.  It makes one question why they so readily joined this crusade, when they have much to lose?  There must be thousands of tribal members both in and out of Utah who have no idea what Bears Ears is all about. Yet supposedly 5 tribes endorse it.  Commissioner Rebecca Benally warned early on, “Trusting the federal government has historically resulted in broken promises for Native Americans."  As native people in Utah started investigating what was at stake the tables turned and coalition members of the Ute Mt. leadership were voted out of office as a result.

Another D goes to Dissembling or pretending to support one idea, when in fact you support a differing philosophy. Many of us heard Navajo leaders speak passionately against oil drilling at the Sally Jewell hearing in July, yet ironically the Navajo tribe is in the process of trying to buy Resolute Oil, the #1 tax payer in San Juan County.  So obviously, it’s not the issue of owning an oil company or drilling that is the problem, but who gets the benefits from it.  This certainly sends a mixed message from the Navajo nation. San Juan County Navajos have always been at the bottom of the totem pole of the Navajo Tribe.  Why some Utah Navajos would support the Navajo Nation's stance makes no sense, unless they were dangled big "green" carrots.

Finally there is the BIG D words – Debt and Deficit.  The Nation’s $20 Trillion debt has put all of us in debtor’s prison.  We are being held hostage by land collateral. We have given away our birthright. We see the results of national debt when existing National parks and Monuments are put under a two-year deferment. Thirteen of Utah’s parks are hampered because of no maintenance to the tune of $278,094,606.  The maintenance deferment nationwide totals $ 11,493,168,812. The federal government is not taking care of existing needs. This further illustrates government inefficiency; as a nation we cannot continue to spend money on wants. We must focus on needs. Leave San Juan lands managed as they are with an emphasis on cooperation and community/county-wide efforts to protect and live in hoz ro’.  A National Monument is not the answer to peace and protection. By working together, we can eliminate those D’s.  It's obvious we need a non-partisan mediator not a heavy handed dictator.
by Janet Wilcox



Saturday, September 28, 2019

San Juan Commission Meeting/ Blanding Arts and Events Center. Oct. 1, 2019 -- Bear Essentials


San Juan County Commission Meeting in Blanding Oct. 1

Documents Updated at Commission meeting today
  Only a small scattering of citizens attended the San Juan County Commission meeting held in Blanding today, Oct.1  Kudos to Mexican Hat, Bluff, Monticello, and Spanish Valley citizens who drove some distance to attend. Mayor Joe Lyman gave a welcome and brief background of the beginnings and goals of Blanding from 1905 to the present and how cooperation and involvement created a successful community. He specifically mentioned the tunnel/ water development, a college campus, and medical facilities.





A very interesting slide presentation given David Ure (Executive Director of SITLA) talked about SITLA lands, and PILT funds and the benefits to Utah and San Juan County. Each acre of public/SITLA land generates .86 cents each year, which is in turn distributed to counties by State law. State trust lands in Utah make up 1/9th of the state. Funds are also used for higher education, and other state institutions. Funds collected have been invested and the "endowment" continues to grow, now standing at $2.9 Billion. Each year students and schools benefit from the Endowment's growth. Some funds are also used to clean up graffiti and dump areas on public lands.












===========================================================
Agenda:
SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING
ARTS & EVENTS CENTER - CONFERENCE ROOM
576 W 200 S, Blanding, UT 84511
AGENDA
October 1, 2019

  9:00 A.M. Work Meeting

1. Emergency Management Training for Elected Officials (Approx. 1 Hour) - Tammy Gallegos - San Juan County Emergency Manager
2. Presentation regarding PILT Funds, David Ure - SITLA Executive Director
3. Briefing about San Juan County's budget and preparation plan, John David Nielson - San Juan County Clerk
4. Briefing on Potential Property Tax Increases, John David Nielson, San Juan County Clerk
5. General Plan Update Discussion, Mack McDonald, San Juan County Administrator
6. Public Lands Update Discussion - Nick Sandberg, San Juan County Planning

11:00 A.M. Commission Meeting

1. Approval of minutes - August 17 & 24, 2019
2. Citizens' comments to the Board of San Juan County Commissioners* (Please complete the request form - available at the door)
3. New Hires, Walter Bird - San Juan County Personnel
4. Ratify Approval of Notice to Residents Regarding Potential Property Tax Changes, John David Nielson, San Juan County Clerk
5. RESOLUTION OF APPOINTMENT OF A SAN JUAN COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE AND AN ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE UTAH COUNTIES INDEMNITY POOL ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Mack McDonald - San Juan County Administrator
6. Mexican Hat Special Service District Board Appointments, Mack McDonald - Sam Juan County Administrator 
7. Approval to Replace Windows in the Public Safety Building, Monty Perkins, SJC Maintenance

~~ Recording of Sept. 17 Special Commission Work Meeting


1. Executive Session to discuss pending or imminent litigation
2. Discussion and Possible Approval of a Settlement Agreement Regarding Attorney's Fees to be paid to the Plaintiffs in Navajo Nation et al v. San Juan County.






~~ Fast Facts Related to the Electoral College

~~ KUER Interviews to Increase Understanding: Featuring Cindy Black Perkins

"Cindy Perkins and her family have lived for five generations near Blanding, a community agitated by the designation of the Bears Ears National Monument in 2016. Jeremy Lynch moved to Moab to work with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. They met halfway in Monticello."

"What happens when two people of different backgrounds and beliefs sit down face-to-face and interview each other? This summer, Utah Public Radio has been recording these new StoryCorps-style interviews, from travels to the far corners of the state including Monticello, Moab, St. George, Cache Valley and Vernal. We now invite you to listen in on some of these thought-provoking small steps.

These conversations were recorded by Utah Public Radio in partnership with StoryCorps as a part of their One Small Step project


~~ Wrong Again!  50 Years of Failed Eco-pocalyptic Predictions

~~ Finding Addresses on the Navajo Reservation Can be Life Threatening

~~ San Juan to Pay 2.4 Million to Navajo Nation

~~ Charges of Racism Still Hovering Over County Politics

~~ Racism a Favored Theme for Commissioner Maryboy

Saturday, December 16, 2017

~~ Bear Essentials ~ Dec. 16, 2017 ~~


v Remember to pray for SNOW!
v Thanks, Dashelle Holliday for writing and publishing several letters this past week. We need more voices correcting misconceptions.

Address one or more of these fallacies when you write:

(These are “talking points” from the Grand Old Broads)

--Most Americans DO NOT want to reduce our national monuments

Protecting national monuments has enormous public support. Over 2.8 million public comments were received in response to Trump’s monument review. Keylog Economics analyzed the first 1.3 million comments received and estimated that 99.2% of comments opposed the review and any reductions to National Monuments. An analysis of more than 6,700 of the comments received found that over 90% of comments from Utahns opposed the administrative review and wanted to protect monuments. The Trump administration and Utah’s elected officials are ignoring the vast majority of comments.

--The Tribes Proposed and Support Bears Ears National Monument

Tribal council members from the Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni Tribes form the Bears Ears Coalition, which proposed Bears Ears as the first tribally co-managed National Monument. Altogether, 30 Native American Tribes with heritage tied to the Bears Ears region have shown overwhelming support for the monument, to protect sacred uses and the area’s tens of thousands of Native American archaeological sites. The day after Trump announced slashing the monument from 1.35 million acres to 201,397 acres, the five tribal governments who petitioned to form it filed a lawsuit against the administration. The Department of Interior claims they consulted with the tribes, but the decision to reduce Bears Ears does not represent the views of these tribal governments and the administration did not go through proper channels for tribal consultation.

--These lands belong to ALL Americans

Before monument designation, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were national public lands managed by the federal government and open for all to enjoy. They were never owned or managed by the state of Utah—so these monument reductions do not “return” the lands to Utahns. Bears Ears National Monument was intended to be co-managed between Native American Tribes, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Forest Service. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is managed by the BLM and will continue to be managed by the federal agency. Trump falsely claimed he was “returning” lands to the people when the public owned these lands all along.

--Monument Designations DO NOT Lock Out the Public

The only activity national monument designation prevents within Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante is oil and gas development and mining. Grazing is still allowed, as well as off-highway vehicles, mountain biking, hiking, camping, firewood cutting, logging, hunting, and trapping, subject to Monument Management Plans. Native American herb and seed collection and traditional uses in Bears Ears are protected under the monument designation.

--National Monuments Bolster, Not Hurt, Local Economies

Independent non-partisan research from Headwaters Economics shows that local economies adjacent to 17 national monuments in the West all expanded following monument designation. Over two-thirds of the communities studied grew at the same rate or at a faster pace compared to similar communities their state. From 2001 to 2015:
— Population grew by 13% and jobs grew by 24%
— Service business jobs grew from 3,916 to 5,561, a 42% increase
— Real per capita income grew from $30,687 to $35,812, a 17% increase

--Outdoor Recreation is Essential to Local and National Economies and creates:  

— $887 billion in consumer spending annually
— 7.6 million American jobs
— $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue
— $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenue

-- Has Helped Neighboring Economies


Suzanne Catlett, Board President of the Escalante & Boulder Chamber of Commerce says it best: “As head of a chamber representing 49 businesses, I can tell you that since the protection of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, our local tourism industry in Escalante has grown and is thriving… Thanks to our national monuments, people want to live here, and new home construction is at an all-time high. We have no doubt that Bears Ears National Monument will bring the same economic opportunities to the area. There is no doubt that shrinking these national monuments would harm our local businesses.”



Good News Bears

WashPost’s misleading headline, ‘Areas cut out of Utah monuments are rich in oil, coal, uranium,’ may seem accurate to those unacquainted with the ins and outs of energy development, but fossil fuel and mineral deposits must have the potential to yield profits before an area is even considered. There may indeed be oil, coal and uranium resources in the ground in southeastern Utah, but according to the scientists at UGS, either due to the size of deposits or the expense and difficulties involved in exploration and extraction, they are not worth the trouble.”
n  Trump Shrinks Bears Ears Navajo Times
“Scott Pruitt recently issued a directive to end a 20-year string of “sue and settle” cases that have funneled untold millions of tax dollars to environmental organizations. . . About 20 years ago, government agencies stopped collecting data on these settlements, so they could no longer report to Congress on the amount of money involved, or the groups to whom it was being paid. Long-time observers know it amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the recipients are mostly large environmental organizations.”
n  BLM Agent Wooten reports Unprofessional behavior by BLM  Video by Washington Representative Matt Shea refers to Operation Cerberus


Bad News Bears


v   Other Articles of Local Interest
v Interview with Jonah Yellowman  video by Alex Cabrero
                                                             
                                                       ~~~~~~                                                         
 http://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/          

                     Documenting Bears Ears “No Monument” efforts since July 2016