Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
WildEarth Guardians: Community Advocates Applaud Cleanup of Abandoned Mining Materials on the Gila National Forest
SANTA FE, New Mexico, Feb. 27 -- WildEarth Guardians issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2026:
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Community Advocates Applaud Cleanup of Abandoned Mining Materials on the Gila National Forest
The western slope of the Gila National Forest where the site is located holds important cultural and ecological value
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SILVER CITY, N.M. -- Today, the U.S. Forest Service announced it will begin the cleanup of mining materials at the abandoned Challenge Venture Mill near Mogollon, approximately eight miles northeast of Glenwood, New Mexico. Conservation and community advocates applauded
... Show Full Article
SANTA FE, New Mexico, Feb. 27 -- WildEarth Guardians issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2026:
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Community Advocates Applaud Cleanup of Abandoned Mining Materials on the Gila National Forest
The western slope of the Gila National Forest where the site is located holds important cultural and ecological value
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SILVER CITY, N.M. -- Today, the U.S. Forest Service announced it will begin the cleanup of mining materials at the abandoned Challenge Venture Mill near Mogollon, approximately eight miles northeast of Glenwood, New Mexico. Conservation and community advocates applaudedthe cleanup, which is a result of years of advocacy from local community members and WildEarth Guardians. The Challenge Venture mill site, a 40-plus year old mining facility that was shut down by the EPA in 1985, sits on public land in the middle of the Gila National Forest, just a few miles north of the Gila Wilderness boundary.
"The problem of the Challenge Venture Milling Site as an environmental hazard and eyesore was brought to my attention in July 2024," said Cordelia Rose, owner of Whitewater Mesa Labyrinths. "I photographed the site extensively and interviewed the last person who worked there learning of the chemicals used in each tank and sump. The Acting Glenwood Ranger came to visit the site with me in September and agreed that the dangers Challenge Venture Milling Site posed to the public needed remediation. Her immediate action of identifying funds to return this beautiful area to public use is greatly appreciated. I look forward to sending visitors to my Whitewater Mesa Labyrinths on up the road to see the stunning 300 views across mountains and mesas."
"After 45 years of watching tons of metal and concrete emerge and erode from this once fabulous vista point, we are grateful to the Forest Service for taking on the laborious task of reclamation," said Stanley King, owner of the Silver Creek Inn in Mogollon, NM. "From 1979 until 1985, the Challenge Venture operation polluted this 10 acre site and was finally shut down after causing a major spill of copper sulfate into Silver Creek. We are looking forward to being able to send our visitors to the site and will be proud to share this wonderful location for viewing Silver Creek Canyon, the historic town site of Mogollon, Spring Mountain and all the way West to the Arizona Mogollon Rim."
"We are thrilled that after over 40 years of pollution and degradation, the Forest Service is taking action to remediate this abandoned mill site," said Leia Barnett, New Mexico Conservation Lead for WildEarth Guardians. "The western slope of the Gila National Forest where the site is located holds important cultural and ecological value. This project is a good step towards greater protections for the entire region and demonstrates that extractive industry is not the future for the Greater Gila."
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Original text here: https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/community-advocates-applaud-cleanup-of-abandoned-mining-materials-on-the-gila-national-forest/
[Category: Environment]
Traditional Tribal Nation, Community and Environmental Groups Notify Interior Department of Intent to Challenge Upcoming Offshore Oil-and-Gas Sale in Cook Inlet, Alaska
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 27 -- Earthjustice issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2026:
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Traditional Tribal Nation, Community and Environmental Groups Notify Interior Department of Intent to Challenge Upcoming Offshore Oil-and-Gas Sale in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Trump administration plans to hold sale in violation of Endangered Species Act, putting extremely vulnerable Cook Inlet beluga whales at risk
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Anchorage, AK -- A federally recognized Alaska Native Tribal Nation, along with several community and environmental health and justice groups notified Interior Secretary Doug
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 27 -- Earthjustice issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2026:
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Traditional Tribal Nation, Community and Environmental Groups Notify Interior Department of Intent to Challenge Upcoming Offshore Oil-and-Gas Sale in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Trump administration plans to hold sale in violation of Endangered Species Act, putting extremely vulnerable Cook Inlet beluga whales at risk
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Anchorage, AK -- A federally recognized Alaska Native Tribal Nation, along with several community and environmental health and justice groups notified Interior Secretary DougBurgum today of their intent to sue the Interior Department and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) over a planned March 4 offshore oil-and-gas lease sale in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
The groups assert that the Trump administration failed to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to evaluate the possible impacts of the oil-and-gas auction on the critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale, as well as the northern sea otter, Steller's eider, and other species protected under federal law. Given the harms the offshore sale could cause, including oil spills, noise pollution, vessel strikes, and climate impacts, this legal violation could push the Inlet beluga whale species even closer to extinction.
Earthjustice and partners submitted the letter on behalf of Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, Cook Inletkeeper, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Center for Biological Diversity, and Natural Resources Defense Council.
"We have a responsibility to steward the vital resources of Alaska for the future guided by respect, traditional knowledge, modern science, and the legally required proper environmental reviews to ensure that our generation is not the one that wipes out an entire species," said Traditional Chief Gary Harrison of Chickaloon.
"Pushing forward with yet another offshore lease sale without updated environmental review or required consultation under the Endangered Species Act is reckless," said Loren Barrett Co-Executive Director, Cook Inletkeeper. "This continued effort to force "development" that is neither sought by industry nor supported by the public needlessly puts at risk the critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale and other protected species that simply cannot withstand additional harm. Expanding offshore drilling in Cook Inlet | Tikahtnu threatens wildlife, food security, and our already robust coastal economies that depend on a healthy Inlet."
"We are taking legal action to prevent this Administration from selling off our public waters and precious habitats to the oil and gas industry which has a long history of violations and toxic spills in Cook Inlet," said Pamela Miller, Executive Director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics. "It is outrageous that this Administration is abdicating its responsibility to protect our endangered beluga whales and their habitats in Cook Inlet, the ecosystem that sustain our subsistence and commercial fisheries, and the lives, livelihoods, and health of our communities."
"The Trump administration has prioritized selling off our public lands and waters over complying with the law, and this upcoming sale in Cook Inlet is no exception," said Earthjustice attorney Hannah Payne Foster. "We are prepared to take legal action as a result of the administration's refusal to comply with the Endangered Species Act in conducting this sale of our public waters to the oil and gas industry. The refusal to follow the rules could devastate the broader ecosystem and further imperil endangered species including the Cook Inlet beluga whale, which is already on the brink of extinction."
"It's dangerous to hold another Cook Inlet oil and gas sale without even looking at how more drilling could hurt the belugas already struggling here," said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Cook Inlet is most valuable with clean, thriving waters with healthy fish and wildlife. The Trump administration should stop seeing Cook Inlet as an industrial sacrifice zone and really consider the massive risks drilling brings."
"This reckless approach to oil and gas leasing in Cook Inlet shows a blatant disregard for the law," said Irene Gutierrez, Senior Attorney, NRDC. "It would endanger beluga whales to benefit fossil fuel interests. Ignoring the Endangered Species Act's basic consultation requirements sacrifices irreplaceable endangered wildlife for corporate profit."
Background
In January, the Trump administration published its final notice of sale for the March Cook Inlet oil-and-gas sale (one of six scheduled through 2032) without complying with the ESA. This failure to meet the basic statutory requirements was alarming given BOEM's acknowledgement that the Cook Inlet -- a tidal estuary underpinning the ecology, culture, and economy of southcentral Alaska -- is one of the most ecologically sensitive regions of the entire Outer Continental Shelf. Though the July 2025 Reconciliation Act mandated a lease sale in the Cook Inlet in 2026, that law did not exempt the administration from their mandate to comply with bedrock environmental laws such as the ESA and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Beyond the harms day-to-day offshore drilling operations pose to imperiled animals, including noise pollution and vessel strikes, a major oil spill could devastate the populations of already endangered species like the Cook Inlet beluga whale, whose current population is estimated at only 331 individuals, or less than 25 percent of the population in the 1970s.
Additionally, Cook Inlet is a central pillar of food, livelihoods, subsistence, and cultural lifeways for many Alaska Native communities. It also hosts Alaska's largest city and many smaller coastal communities. And the Inlet supports tourism, recreation, and sport fishing -- key components of the local economy -- by providing habitat for fish, stunning scenery, and opportunities for boating and viewing wildlife.
As the current administration pursues an aggressive offshore leasing program, more than two dozen Alaska organizations and individuals including a current Olympian signed onto a letter opposing the administration's plan to expand offshore drilling across nearly all federal waters off Alaska, with five new oil-and-gas sales proposed in Cook Inlet in addition to six Cook Inlet sales mandated by the Reconciliation Act. The groups say more Cook Inlet sales would waste taxpayer dollars without helping to solve a local natural gas shortage, as BOEM's own projection shows little to no economically recoverable natural gas in Cook Inlet's federal waters.
Meanwhile, industry demand has plummeted in Cook Inlet, drawing a single bid from just one company in the past two federal offshore oil sales held there. Yet no production has resulted from the leases held by this company. There has been drilling in the state waters of Cook Inlet for decades, but there has been no oil and gas development in its federal waters to date. Corporations operating in Cook Inlet have a concerning record of spills, leaks and violations of state and federal environmental regulations.
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Additional Resources
* About the Alaska Office (https://earthjustice.org/office/alaska/)
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About Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
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Original text here: https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/traditional-tribal-nation-community-and-environmental-groups-notify-interior-department-of-intent-to-challenge-upcoming-offshore-oil-and-gas-sale-in-cook-inlet-alaska
[Category: Environment]
Sprigg Township, OH Passes Data Center Moratorium
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 [Category: Science] -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release:
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Sprigg Township, OH Passes Data Center Moratorium
Sprigg latest locality to reject data centers in nationwide pushback
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On Monday, Sprigg Township passed a 12-month data center moratorium following public pushback. Recent regulatory filings in Adams County discovered that a data center proposal for the county would be among the state's largest data centers, consuming 31 times as much energy as Adams County.
With the move, Sprigg Township joins a growing number of communities standing
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 [Category: Science] -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release:
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Sprigg Township, OH Passes Data Center Moratorium
Sprigg latest locality to reject data centers in nationwide pushback
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On Monday, Sprigg Township passed a 12-month data center moratorium following public pushback. Recent regulatory filings in Adams County discovered that a data center proposal for the county would be among the state's largest data centers, consuming 31 times as much energy as Adams County.
With the move, Sprigg Township joins a growing number of communities standingup against data center development in Ohio and across the country.
In response to the vote, Food & Water Watch Senior Researcher Ben Murray issued the following statement:
"I've been here on the ground as a concerned community member -- my family, my friends, and residents have brought their concerns to the elected officials and are trying to voice our concerns to local elected officials. Data centers are being proposed at lightning speed without much time for the community and decision makers to catch up. This moratorium is hopefully a chance to pump the brakes and determine what's in the township's best interest, and I hope more municipalities in Ohio see our momentum here in Sprigg and follow suit."
In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Over 250+ organizations have since joined the call. Recent analysis from Food & Water Watch found that by 2028, AI-supporting data centers could consume:
* 720 billion gallons of water annually simply to cool the facilities -- equal to more than 1 million Olympic-size swimming pools, or enough water to meet the indoor needs of 18.5 million American households.
* 300 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy annually -- enough electricity to power over 28 million American households.
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Original text here: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2026/02/26/sprigg-township-oh-passes-data-center-moratorium/
Feinstein Institutes' Scientists Discover Brain Circuit That Links Inflammation and Stress Response
NEW HYDE PARK, New York, Feb. 27 -- Northwell Health issued the following news release:
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Feinstein Institutes' scientists discover brain circuit that links inflammation and stress response
New study reveals how the brain can 'remember' inflammation, replay immune and stress responses, pointing to new possibilities for bioelectronic medicine
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What if there was a switch in the brain that could turn on or off the body's physical response to stress? New research from scientists at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has identified a specific brain circuit that acts
... Show Full Article
NEW HYDE PARK, New York, Feb. 27 -- Northwell Health issued the following news release:
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Feinstein Institutes' scientists discover brain circuit that links inflammation and stress response
New study reveals how the brain can 'remember' inflammation, replay immune and stress responses, pointing to new possibilities for bioelectronic medicine
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What if there was a switch in the brain that could turn on or off the body's physical response to stress? New research from scientists at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has identified a specific brain circuit that actsas a control center for both inflammation and stress responses. Published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, the study shows that a specific group of brain cells is capable of controlling inflammation and stress responses. The discovery helps explain why psychological stress can have such powerful effects on physical health -- and promises to drive future developments in bioelectronic medicine.
This discovery, led by Sangeeta S. Chavan, PhD, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, and Tatyana and Alan Forman Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Sciences, with Okito Hashimoto, MD, PhD and Tyler Hepler, BS, advances understanding of the intricate connection between the brain and the immune system.
While the brain continuously monitors the body's health and immune responses, the precise neural code that translates immune signals into physiological responses -- such as inflammation, fever, changes in heart rate and stress hormone release -- has largely remained a mystery. By identifying specific neurons within a critical brain region that integrate immune information and trigger widespread responses, the research opens new avenues for developing bioelectronic therapies for inflammatory and stress-related conditions.
"These neurons act as a shared pathway where immune signals and stress converge," said Dr. Chavan. "This helps explain why chronic stress can worsen inflammatory diseases and why inflammation and mental health conditions are so closely linked."
Unlocking 'immune memory'
Using advanced neuroscience techniques, the research team focused on interleukin-1B (IL-1B), a key inflammatory molecule. They discovered that IL-1B activates a specific group of neurons in a stress-processing region of the brain that produces corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Direct activation of these neurons in experimental models reproduced the full physiological effects of inflammation, while disrupting the circuit blocked many of these responses. Importantly, the same neurons were also activated during psychological stress. Ablation of these neurons protected from inflammation or changes in heart rate in response to stress, even though stress hormones were still present. These findings show that the brain uses distinct but overlapping pathways to control different components of the stress response.
These results also suggest the concept of an "immune engram," a neural memory of inflammatory experiences, allowing it to rapidly recall and respond to future threats. This discovery has important implications for bioelectronic medicine, a field that treats disease by targeting neural circuits with electrical signals rather than drugs.
"The brain and the immune system are in constant communication, and understanding this dialogue is essential for advancing bioelectronic medicine," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. "By identifying the neural circuit that connects immune signaling and psychological stress, Dr. Chavan's discovery opens new possibilities for medical innovation."
Shaping the future of bioelectronic medicine
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the global scientific home of bioelectronic medicine, which combines molecular medicine, neuroscience and biomedical engineering. At the Feinstein Institutes, medical researchers use modern technology to develop new device-based therapies that modulate neural circuits to treat disease and injury. Targeting this newly identified brain pathway may one day lead to new treatments for inflammatory and stress-related conditions.
Building on years of research in molecular disease mechanisms and the link between the nervous and immune systems, Feinstein Institutes' researchers discovered neural targets that can be activated or inhibited with neuromodulation devices, like vagus nerve implants, to control the body's immune response and inflammation. If inflammation is successfully controlled, diseases -- such as arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases -- can be treated more effectively.
Beyond inflammation, using novel brain-computer interfaces, Feinstein Institutes' researchers developed techniques to bypass injuries of the nervous system so that people living with paralysis can regain sensation and use their limbs. By producing bioelectronic medicine knowledge, disease and injury could one day be treated with our own nerves without costly and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals.
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Original text here: https://feinstein.northwell.edu/news/the-latest/scientists-discover-brain-circuit-linking-inflammation-stress-response
[Category: Health Care]
Faced With Inaction by Mayor Bass, PETA Turns to Governor Newsom to Crack Down on Rampant Animal Neglect, Abuse on Los Angeles's Skid Row
NORFOLK, Virginia, Feb. 27 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Faced with Inaction by Mayor Bass, PETA Turns to Governor Newsom to Crack Down on Rampant Animal Neglect, Abuse on Los Angeles's Skid Row
With reports surging of cats and dogs being abused, neglected, illegally bred, sold, and even overdosing on drugs and killed on Skid Row, PETA has gone over Mayor Karen Bass' head and today sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter--along with a disturbing video depicting scenes of the animal crisis on Skid Row --urging him to intervene. PETA points
... Show Full Article
NORFOLK, Virginia, Feb. 27 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Faced with Inaction by Mayor Bass, PETA Turns to Governor Newsom to Crack Down on Rampant Animal Neglect, Abuse on Los Angeles's Skid Row
With reports surging of cats and dogs being abused, neglected, illegally bred, sold, and even overdosing on drugs and killed on Skid Row, PETA has gone over Mayor Karen Bass' head and today sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter--along with a disturbing video depicting scenes of the animal crisis on Skid Row --urging him to intervene. PETA pointsout in its letter that Mayor Bass' administration "appears to be either unable or unwilling" to help animals on Skid Row, as repeated appeals for assistance have been ignored. Photos are here.
"Skid Row has become a breeding ground for cruelty, where abused and neglected dogs are made to churn out endless litters under horrific circumstances, the city's spay/neuter requirements and breeding moratorium are simply ignored," says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. "PETA is urgently requesting Governor Newsom to step in and do what Mayor Bass has failed to do: protect the city's companion animals."
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PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"--points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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PETA's letter to Newsom follows.
Dear Governor Newsom,
I am reaching out on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to ask that you take immediate action to address the ongoing companion animal crisis in the Skid Row district of Los Angeles. Animals are being abused, neglected, bred, sold, and even killed--all in violation of local and state laws--and despite years of appeals to enforce those laws and protect animals, Mayor Karen Bass's administration appears either unable or unwilling to do so.
We realize that addressing the needs of the humans living on Skid Row is difficult and complex, but enforcing existing laws to protect animals is not. It is illegal to breed dogs in Los Angeles as long as shelters are at 75% capacity (which they are well over). People on Skid Row are breeding dogs. Therefore, action needs to be taken. The moratorium on issuing breeding permits was put in place to help curb the overpopulation crisis and it applies to all Angelinos. The animal welfare laws that exist in the city were written to protect the city's animals from neglect and cruelty - no matter the perpetrator.
Social workers and advocates who visit Skid Row daily to provide supplies and services (to people and animals) report that their calls to the Mayor's office, L.A. Animal Services and the LAPD--to report dogs being beaten, starved, neglected, abandoned, or even overdosing on drugs--typically go unanswered.
In November of 2025, Mayor Bass pledged to address these issues with a task force that would step up investigation and enforcement on Skid Row. However, advocates report that after a single highly-publicized "puppy mill" bust on Skid Row in early December, they never saw evidence of the task force again, and officers were recorded stating that the program was disbanded after a couple of trainings. Meanwhile, on a daily basis, videos surface of dogs on Skid Row suffering in various states of severe medical neglect, and residents refusing to allow their dogs to be sterilized.
The City of Los Angeles has failed to address this emergency, now the state of California has a responsibility to step in. The world is watching.
Sincerely,
Lisa Lange
Senior Vice President
PETA
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Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/faced-with-inaction-by-mayor-bass-peta-turns-to-governor-newsom-to-crack-down-on-rampant-animal-neglect-abuse-on-los-angeless-skid-row/
[Category: Animals]
FAIR Goes After District Court's Revival of Catch-and-Release
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Federation for American Immigration Reform issued the following news release:
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FAIR Goes after District Court's Revival of Catch-and-Release
Shows appellate court lower court gutted the law
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The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit making the case for overturning a ruling by a federal district court making illegal aliens who have been detained eligible to be released while awaiting their removal proceedings.
Until the mid-1990s, illegal aliens who had snuck across the border
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Federation for American Immigration Reform issued the following news release:
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FAIR Goes after District Court's Revival of Catch-and-Release
Shows appellate court lower court gutted the law
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The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit making the case for overturning a ruling by a federal district court making illegal aliens who have been detained eligible to be released while awaiting their removal proceedings.
Until the mid-1990s, illegal aliens who had snuck across the borderor overstayed their visas were not subject to mandatory detention for removal proceedings. Instead, when apprehended, they were commonly released back into the country pending deportation proceedings.
In 1996, Congress changed that, making illegal aliens "applicants for admission"--defined as aliens who are in the country but have not been admitted. The 1996 law, read straightforwardly, makes detention of all applicants for admission not subject to expedited removal mandatory while they await removal proceedings. Specifically, the law states that, "in the case of an alien who is an applicant for admission," "an alien seeking admission" who cannot show he is entitled to be admitted must be detained for a removal proceeding.
Reading this statute, the district court seized on the phrase "an alien seeking admission," claiming that it does not simply restate the phrase "applicant for admission," but refers only to illegal aliens who, before being apprehended, contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeking to be admitted--something the plaintiff in the case had never done. Accordingly, the district court concluded that the detention of the plaintiff was not mandatory.
As FAIR points out in its brief, however, virtually no illegal aliens, for obvious reasons, ever contact ICE to seek admittance or for any other reason. The district court's interpretation therefore makes the law of no effect, imposing mandatory detention on no class of aliens it was not imposed on before. As FAIR's brief puts it, "It is dubious in the extreme that, in [this section of the law], Congress enacted an entirely superfluous statutory provision."
"It is amazing how activist attorneys and courts will seize on any pretext to weaken immigration law enforcement, even at the cost of absurdity," said Christopher J. Hajec, deputy general counsel of FAIR. "We hope the appellate court rejects the district court's transparent maneuver, which we show completely guts this statute, and restores the law as Congress intended it."
The case is Orellana v. Moniz, No. 25-2152 (First Circuit).
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Original text here: https://www.fairus.org/press-release/fair-goes-after-district-courts-revival-catch-and-release
[Category: International]
Earthjustice: Senator Lee Formally Begins Process to Fast-Track Destruction of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 27 -- Earthjustice issued the following news release:
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Senator Lee Formally Begins Process to Fast-Track Destruction of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah
Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation's public lands system and upend public lands protection
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Washington, D.C. -- Anti-public-lands crusader Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has formally begun the process to fast-track the destruction of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah by adding the Government Accountability Office (GAO) opinion regarding the Monument's
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 27 -- Earthjustice issued the following news release:
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Senator Lee Formally Begins Process to Fast-Track Destruction of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah
Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation's public lands system and upend public lands protection
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Washington, D.C. -- Anti-public-lands crusader Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has formally begun the process to fast-track the destruction of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah by adding the Government Accountability Office (GAO) opinion regarding the Monument'sManagement Plan to the Congressional Record (see page 51). Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), once a "resolution of disapproval" is introduced (anticipated to occur any day), both chambers of Congress can expedite their votes and pass the measures by simple majority votes. If that happens and the resolution is signed into law by the President, the Monument Management Plan - which sets expectations for how the land will be managed for wildlife, outdoor access, dark night skies, grazing, and other uses -- will be undone and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be barred from issuing another plan that is "substantially the same" in the future.
In July 2025, Rep. Maloy (R-UT-02) requested an opinion from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) about whether Congress can overturn the current Monument Management Plan; on January 15, the GAO released an opinion that Congress can interfere this way and undo the plan. This represents a clear escalation of the use of the CRA to attack the nation's wildest public lands and as the first CRA attack on a national monument, this action threatens to upend public land protection.
Though this Congress is the first to use the CRA to overturn BLM resource management plans, using it to eliminate a national monument management plan goes much further: resource management plans cover lands that allow many different uses, but national monuments were designated to elevate conservation over extraction.
Beloved by Utahns and Americans, the Monument was established in 1996 to protect the incredible geological, ecological, cultural, and paleontological resources within its 1.9 million-acre boundaries in southern Utah. A crown jewel of the nation's public lands system, it was the first monument managed by the BLM and was the first unit in the agency's now-robust and expansive "National Conservation Lands" program.
President Trump illegally shrank the Monument in 2017 and it has been reported that he is again considering eliminating protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante. Conservation groups and members of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Inter-Tribal Coalition began sounding the alarm about this potential threat on January 22, 2026. Below are quotes and additional information.
"Senator Lee's attack on the Grand Staircase-Escalante is a call to action for Americans from across the nation," said Steve Bloch, legal director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "This wild landscape is quintessential southern Utah redrock country with its stunning geology, irreplaceable cultural resources, unique fossils, and wide-open spaces. All of that is at risk if this attack succeeds and the monument management plan is undone. We intend to move heaven and earth to stop that from happening."
"The fate of our public lands, including our precious national monuments, should not be left to a handful of politicians who want to turn them over to industry," said Tom Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice's Rocky Mountain Office. "While this may be the first CRA attack on a national monument, it will not be the last if members of Congress on both sides of the aisle don't stand up to oppose it. Senator Lee's use of this arcane law would throw out years of planning by local officials, Tribes, and communities, setting a dangerous precedent on public land protection. Anyone who values our public lands and national monuments should take note."
"The Utah delegation knows that our national monuments are well-loved by Americans and protecting them is overwhelmingly popular among Utahns regardless of party affiliation," said Tim Peterson, cultural landscapes director at the Grand Canyon Trust. "The public would not stand for legislation that gets rid of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument outright, so they're trying to eliminate the commonsense management plan that affords day-to-day protections to the monument. We can't let that happen."
"An attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante is an attack on our freedom to enjoy this special place today and generations from now," said Ronni Flannery, senior staff attorney at The Wilderness Society. "This move disregards years of hard work and broad support, and, instead, attempts to hand our public lands over to the highest paying polluters. A vote to pass this bill is a vote against the people to erode a crown jewel of the American West."
"Using the Congressional Review Act to unravel Grand Staircase-Escalante's management plan is an assault on a national treasure," said Bobby McEnaney, director of land conservation, NRDC. "It would wipe out years of science and public input and lay the groundwork to make additional attacks on Grand Staircase easier. Americans overwhelmingly support this monument. Congress must reject this reckless effort and honor its commitment to Tribes, local communities, and future generations."
"No one ought to mistake this effort as isolated-it's part of a concerted effort to destroy the Bureau of Land Management's ability to manage public lands, so that privatizing or industrializing them are the only viable options," said Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation. "Going after BLM's first national monument sends the signal that the rest of the 30 monuments and all of the National Conservation Lands that BLM oversees are in the crosshairs, and we know from experience that the public will fight like never before to keep these places protected."
Read additional quotes (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-MAYImt4GAjvN3zaJn5q7KVyLBCRteUPO1BjY3ahtTY/edit?tab=t.0).
About Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument & the Monument Management Plan
Since its establishment, heightened protections for the Monument's geology, paleontology, wildlife, plant communities, and ancestral sites have succeeded in preserving these unique values for generations to come, and local communities on the Monument's doorstep have benefited as well. Nearly 30 years later, the numerous benefits of protecting Grand Staircase-Escalante are clear: the Monument preserves a remarkable ecosystem at the landscape level and sets the stage for future discovery about human, paleontological, and geological history on the Colorado Plateau.
On December 4, 2017, President Trump ignored millions of public comments and unlawfully eliminated large swaths of the Monument, slashing it by 47 percent -- roughly 900,000 acres. Thankfully, on October 8, 2021, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to its full, original boundaries. In 2023, BLM began developing a new management plan for the full Monument. As a part of that work, the BLM engaged in extensive outreach to Tribal Nations, the State of Utah, local governments, stakeholders (including outfitters and guides, ranchers, local utilities), and the public. During the planning process, BLM received overwhelming support from throughout Utah and the nation for a holistic, conservation-based management plan worthy of this remarkable place.
In August 2023, a Federal District Court Judge in Utah dismissed lawsuits brought by the state of Utah and others challenging President Biden's use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The state and other plaintiffs quickly appealed that decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held oral argument on September 26, 2024, and may issue a decision at any time. Conservation organizations intervened on behalf of the United States to defend President Biden's restoration of the Monuments, as have four Tribal nations.
National monuments are overwhelmingly popular. Seventy-five percent of Utah voters support the President's ability to protect public lands as national monuments. Three in four Utah voters, including a majority of Republicans, want to keep Grand Staircase-Escalante as a national monument.
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Additional Resources
* About the Policy and Legislation Team (https://earthjustice.org/office/policy-and-legislation/)
* About the Rocky Mountain Office (https://earthjustice.org/office/rocky-mountain)
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About Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
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Original text here: https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/senator-lee-formally-begins-process-to-fast-track-the-destruction-of-grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument-in-utah
[Category: Environment]
