Congressional Attack Coming to National Monument Protections, Local Communities and Businesses Outraged

Conservation, education, veteran, and recreation groups fight to protect critical Southern California public lands in Chuckwalla National Monument

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2026 Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris(@)conservationlands.org Kanab, UT / Washington, D.C. — In a dangerous first for America’s national monuments, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) today introduced joint resolutions to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The resolutions would effectively put Congress in charge of how the national monument in southern Utah will be managed, opening the door for other national monuments and public lands to have their management similarly undermined. The resolution seeks to use an obscure law, the Congressional Review Act, in a novel way to overturn a national monument management plan. If both chambers of Congress pass the legislation, called a “resolution of disapproval,” by simple majority votes, the monument management plan will be eliminated and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be barred from issuing another plan that is “substantially the same” in the future. This action also threatens the integrity of national monuments and public land protections across the country. Reaction from national monument and local business advocates below: Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a nonpartisan, national network of community advocates solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management: “Grandstanding on the back of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to appease a select few who want to kick the public out of public lands willingly ignores local communities, business owners, and Tribes who support and rely on the balanced management of national monuments. It also ignores the overwhelming majority of voters in Utah and across western states who want Congress members to protect these places. It’s a Congressional power grab of the country’s national monuments and public lands, plain and simple, and Americans of all political identities will fight like hell to stop it.” Jackie Grant, Executive Director of the Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, which is the local nonprofit that helps steward the national monument through science, conservation, and education: “Using the Congressional Review Act as a tool to amend land management plans eliminates the public’s voice and is a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. It sets off a domino effect of chaos across all of our public lands. There was plenty of opportunity for many hundreds and thousands of voices to be heard—from the local level all the way up to the national level. As a local organization, we will continue to stand with our neighbors, Tribes, educators, and conservation partners to protect this landscape and ensure it is managed for future generations.” Nate Waggoner, Escalante, Utah resident and Board Chair at the Grand Staircase Regional Guides Association, which represents a regional network of outdoor guides who rely on the national monument for their local businesses: “We’ve been operating our business here for 22 years, we’ve made long-term investments in our community. Having our land use plans destroyed or taken away by the Congressional Review Act throws all of those investments into chaos. We need those long-term permits so we can continue to make long-term financial investments in our communities. This sets a horrible precedent for the future for all of the public lands we live, love, and operate on.” Todd Tucci, Senior Attorney, Advocates for the West: “Congress is effectively playing legislative Russian roulette with a gun pointed to the head of America’s public lands. They’re breaking the system of public lands management wholeheartedly. This isn’t just about the southeast corner of Utah, it potentially impacts every inch of public lands. It impacts your favorite watering hole, your favorite fishing hole… where you walk your dog, where you take your kids hiking. There’s not an inch of public lands that is safe.” ### Background: The Resource Management Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was developed over years of public engagement, Tribal consultation, and scientific review to guide multiple-use and responsible management of one of the nation’s most significant cultural and natural landscapes . While the monument remains protected under Presidential Proclamation 10286 , which carries the full force of law, the Congressional maneuver injects uncertainty into monument stewardship and local economies that depend on outdoor recreation, and undermines the public process that has long governed how these treasured public lands are managed.