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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution encourages the President to work cooperatively with the
11 state's congressional delegation, the state's legislative and executive branches, local
12 communities, and tribes on action regarding national monuments.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 ▸ outlines the state's stewardship of lands;
16 ▸ addresses the federal government's creation of federal monuments in the state; and
17 ▸ encourages the Biden administration to work with state leaders to create permanent
18 solutions to the issues raised by federal monuments.
19 Special Clauses:
20 None
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22 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23 WHEREAS, the state is a wise steward of the land and is committed to conservation
24 and continued recreational access for hunters, anglers, campers, and other recreationists, as
25 well as allowing for productive uses, including agriculture, timber production, and energy and
26 natural resource development, and traditional/historical uses like those of tribes;
27 WHEREAS, Utah, local residents, and tribes value the culturally and historically
28 significant artifacts and sites in the state;
29 WHEREAS, Utah was the first state to provide state-managed resource management
30 plans -- signaling Utah's commitment to responsible management;
31 WHEREAS, the state and federal government share interests, along with the tribes, in
32 preserving sensitive areas and artifacts, in creating a balanced approach to managing national
33 monuments, and in responsibly developing resources on public lands;
34 WHEREAS, for an extended period of time, Utah has been the center of controversial
35 and divisive unilateral national monument decisions;
36 WHEREAS, although Utah's congressional delegation and many state and local leaders
37 publicly opposed the designation of the Bears Ears National Monument, in December 2016,
38 President Obama designated the Bears Ears National Monument, limiting public access to 1.35
39 million acres in San Juan County and affecting over 100,000 acres of land held by the School
40 and Institutional Trust Lands Administration to which Utah should have a legal right to access;
41 WHEREAS, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was created in 1996 by
42 President Clinton without input or support from Garfield or Kane counties, their citizens, their
43 public officials, or the state legislature and without consideration of roads, local economies,
44 customs, culture, and heritage;
45 WHEREAS, the designation of Utah lands as monuments has reduced the ability of the
46 state to actively manage for land health issues such as vegetation treatments, erosion control,
47 water management, grazing management, wildlife management activities, fire management,
48 and invasive plant control;
49 WHEREAS, the tourism economy that national monuments create fails to offset the
50 negative financial impacts of reduced natural resources related jobs and the state's ability to
51 manage lands for future economic growth;
52 WHEREAS, Utah has an interest in protecting Utah's lands in a way that also protects
53 the economy, development, custom, culture, heritage, educational opportunities, health, and
54 well-being of local communities;
55 WHEREAS, both Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bears Ears
56 National Monument were reduced in size in 2017, and new management plans have been
57 written accordingly;
58 WHEREAS, President Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office calling
59 for a study of enlarging both monuments;
60 WHEREAS, changing the size of these national monuments every four to eight years
61 does not help anyone, particularly those whose life and livelihood are tied to the land;
62 WHEREAS, the nation, state, and tribes will benefit from a unified effort to address
63 management of Utah's land;
64 WHEREAS, the only way to provide long-term stable management solutions is through
65 federal legislation that includes returning broad land designation authority in Utah to Congress
66 in consultation with the state legislature;
67 WHEREAS, legislation has the advantage of being able to provide solutions that a
68 Presidential Proclamation under the Antiquities Act cannot, such as addressing needs for
69 education, interpretation, and enforcement;
70 WHEREAS, legislative solutions may promote greater innovation;
71 WHEREAS, the state legislature should work cooperatively with the federal delegation
72 regarding the details of any land-related legislative action; and
73 WHEREAS, the state desires to find a collaborative, broadly supported, and long-term
74 solution to the question of national monuments in Utah, including Grand Staircase-Escalante
75 and Bears Ears National Monuments:
76 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Utah, the
77 Governor concurring therein, encourages President Biden to work with Utah's congressional
78 delegation, the state's legislative and executive branches, local communities, and the tribes to
79 develop a long-term, sustainable solution.
80 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to Utah's
81 congressional delegation and the President of the United States.