WASHINGTON, D.C. -Removing protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through the Congressional Review Act sets a dangerous precedent for our country's national monuments. The resolution, introduced by Representative Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), would overturn the monument's Resource Management Plan, violate Indigenous Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, and leave wildlife habitat vulnerable. It also prohibits the Bureau of Land Management from adopting a substantially similar plan in the future.

"Using the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument's Resource Management Plan will disproportionately harm Indigenous communities and is an affront to those who provided valuable input," said Garrit Voggesser, senior director of Tribal partnerships and policy at National Wildlife Federation. "The Resource Management Plan, developed in consultation with sovereign Tribes, incorporated the use of traditional knowledge, protection of sacred sites, and ensures Indigenous communities would have access for traditional, spiritual, and subsistence usage. If this resolution passes, it will subvert any efforts to uphold trust responsibility and set a precedent that will create uncertainty for Indigenous self-determination across the country."