Progress continues, albeit slowly, on the lawsuits Guardians and allies filed to stop Trump’s dismantling of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. On September 24, the Washington, D.C. District Court denied Trump, Interior Secretary Zinke, and the Bureau of Land Management’s motion to transfer the cases to Utah federal court instead of having them take place in D.C. This is good news: the president’s decision to shrink the monuments affects all Americans, and these two cases are matters of national importance that should be heard where the president made his decision.
The court also required the Bureau of Land Management to give Guardians and allies two days’ notice before any ground disturbances (i.e., mining) occur within the original boundaries of the monuments. This is also good news, since these landscapes will be protected while the lawsuits advance.
Stay tuned for more news on our efforts to protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase!
