FROM: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029925248
UTE INDIAN TRIBE FILING LAWSUIT CHALLENGING PRESIDENT’S PLAN TO ABOLISH BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Ft. Duchesne, UT December 4, 2017
The Ute Indian Tribe is deeply offended by President Trump’s announcement today that he plans to significantly shrink the Bears Ears National Monument. His action will effectively revoke the Monument and threaten the Tribe’s cultural and historical resources that were protected by the designation of the Monument. Along with the 4 other tribes who came together to advocate for establishment of the Monument, the Ute Indian Tribe will be filing a lawsuit against President Trump, Secretary Zinke, and others in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia to hold them accountable for their actions in this matter that serve as an affront to the sovereignty of the Ute Indian Tribe and all Tribes in the United States.
The President’s actions are even more appalling in that they were taken without even visiting the Monument or consulting with the tribes whose sacred and cultural sites the Monument was created to protect. Instead the President is relying on Secretary Zinke’s brief review that seeks to diminish the position of Tribe’s in favor of special interest groups. The proposal to shrink the Monument will leave hundreds of thousands of antiquities, archeological sites and cultural resources unprotected and eviscerate the years of collaborative work that was undertaken by the members of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition to establish a monument that recognizes the unique cultural and spiritual contributions that Native peoples have made to the history of this great Nation.
The President’s action will upend almost a decade of collaborative work by local tribal members and the five tribes. “The President promised to drain the swamp,” said Luke Duncan Chairman of the Ute Indian Tribal Business Committee, “but with this unilateral action at the request of a few powerful Utah politicians the swamp is only getting deeper.” Chairman Duncan continued, “We refuse to become the forgotten people of this land and the President should recognize and respect our voice in this matter as the first Utahns.”
The President’s action to appease Utah politicians comes at a crucial time for Congressional approval of the President’s tax cuts and appears to be nothing more than a duplicitous effort to ensure that Senator Orrin Hatch’s objective of eliminating the Monument is fulfilled so that the President can secure support from Senator Hatch for the President’s tax reform initiative. The success of the President’s tax reform initiative hinges upon Senator Hatch’s support given his position as the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Despite promises to work on behalf of Tribal Nations, the President is acting on behalf of wealthy special interest groups to advance their interest regardless of the impact on tribal history and culture.
The President’s action threatens the priceless resources of Bears Ears. “The Monument isn’t just about a few isolated artifacts. The Monument is a living part of our culture as well as the history and culture of the United States. Our cultures are still here and still thriving,” said Shaun Chapoose, member of the Ute Indian Tribal Business Committee. “The Bears Ears region is a cultural landscape – a place to nurture our families in our traditions. It’s a sad state of affairs when the President of this great Nation shows manifest disregard for our history and culture as a people, but we are prepared to fight for our rights, and to protect Bears Ears.”
The Ute Indian Tribe maintains that the Antiquities Act does not give a President the authority to revoke or shrink an established National Monument. It is the position of Ute Indian Tribe that President Trump’s plan to shrink Bears Ears constitutes an unlawful revocation of a National Monument and his actions in this matter should be universally condemned by all indigenous peoples of the world and those that support indigenous peoples rights. The President’s action in this matter violates the Antiquities Act and is being carried out without legal authority. The action also runs afoul of the Federal government’s trust responsibility and government-to-government relationship with Indian tribes. The Ute Indian Tribe will be filing a lawsuit challenging the President’s action with the other Bears Ears tribes as soon as the action is executed.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2017
NAVAJO NATION WILL DEFEND BEARS EARS
SALT LAKE CITY – On Dec. 4, President Trump signed a proclamation to reduce the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. The decision was met with widespread opposition from Navajo leadership.
“The Navajo Nation has made repeated requests to meet with President Trump on this issue. The Bears Ears Monument is of critical importance, not only to the Navajo Nation but to many tribes in the region,” President Begaye said. “The decision to reduce the size of the Monument is being made with no tribal consultation. The Navajo Nation will defend Bears Ears. The reduction in the size of the Monument leaves us no choice but to litigate this decision.”
“Bears Ears National Monument is not just for Native Americans but for all Americans,” Vice President Jonathan Nez said. “This is a sad day for indigenous people and for America. However, we are resilient and refuse to allow President Trump’s unlawful decision to discourage us. We will continue to fight in honor of our ancestral warriors who fought for our way of life, for our culture and for our land too.”
The Monument was declared by President Obama on Dec. 28, 2016, pursuant to his authority under the Antiquities Act. The area encompassed by the Monument has been home to Native peoples since time immemorial.
As a part of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, the Nation has worked diligently to establish the Monument and ensure that management is guided in part by the Commission, created by the original proclamation and made up of the Hopi, Uintah and Ouray Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni Tribes.
The Navajo Nation and the Commission have engaged to protect the area due to its cultural, religious and historical significance.
The Navajo Nation along with the four other tribes represented on the Commission, a coalition of nonprofits and citizen groups have consistently rallied to defend the Monument. The tribes will collectively be filing a lawsuit against the administration.
SUWA Statement on President Trump’s Illegal Attempt to Eviscerate Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2017
Salt Lake City, UT – In response to President Trump’s proclamations today that eviscerate Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Executive Director Scott Groene issued the following statement:
“Today’s illegal proclamations by President Trump represent the single greatest attack a president has ever launched against America’s federal public lands. It is certain that the legacies of both President Trump, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, who goaded him into this despicable act, will be forever tainted by their assault on more than two million acres of Utah’s wild lands that are beloved by the American public.”
“SUWA is committed to defending these monuments in court, and confident that today’s political action will be overturned. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments will be restored to their full glory, and President Trump’s action today will be remembered as another failed attempt to thwart the will of the American people, who want these lands to remain protected.”
With regard to his attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Trump divided it into three smaller sections totaling roughly 1 million acres, (a 48% reduction [900,000 acres less]) than the original monument.
“By eliminating nearly half of Grand Staircase-Escalante, President Trump has opened up some of the most wild and scenic redrock canyons in Utah to the lost cause of coal mining. For 21 years, the protected Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has inspired families to reconnect with the wild and with each other, has reinvigorated surrounding communities, and lead to significant paleontological discoveries. It has even been affirmed and ratified by Congress. Trump’s grandstanding disregards the success of this monument, merely because Sen. Hatch instructed him to.”
With regard to his ferocious attack on Bears Ears National Monument, Trump replaced it with two, much smaller, non-contiguous units totaling less than 230,000 acres (an 83% reduction [1.15 million acres less] when compared to Bears Ears).
“President Trump’s decimation of the Bears Ears is just the latest in a long string of insults he has lobbed toward Tribes, five of which worked diligently for years to ensure the protection of their cultural homeland.”
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