Battle Heats Up Over Bears Ears Monument in Utah

FEATURING CASSANDRA BEGAY – In the last weeks of his presidency, Barack Obama established the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah under the authority of the Antiquities Act. But very quickly after Donald Trump began his tenure, that decision was being reviewed.

In April Trump signed an executive order authorizing his Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, to review dozens of national monument designations including Bears Ears. Trump called the designations, “another egregious abuse of federal power,” and, “a massive federal land grab.”

Fossil fuel and other energy industry groups have long opposed the Antiquities Act, seeing it as standing in the way of their extraction of resources and profits. Zinke, in a recent visit to Bears Ears, was confronted by Native American activists, including my guest, about why he has not yet met with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.

Send a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke through http://utahdinebikeyah.org.

Cassandra Begay, Native American Activist and a tribal liaison for the group PANDOS (Peaceful Advocate for Native Dialogue and Organizing Support).