Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Resolution Exposed

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Resolution does not include adoption or approval information. ALEC has attempted to distance itself from this piece of legislation after the launch of ALECexposed.org in 2011, but it has done nothing to get it repealed in the states where it previously pushed for it to be made into law.

ALEC Resolution Text

WHEREAS, on September 18, 1996, President William Jefferson Clinton declared 1.7 million acres in Southern Utah as the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument: and

WHEREAS, the President abused the purpose of the go-year-old Antiquities Act which allows him to act without Congressional approval, by significantly over-reaching in the number of acres designated; and

WHEREAS, the President ignored repeated requests to work through the legislative processes already in place under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to determine areas appropriate for designation as wilderness and national areas and national monuments; and

WHEREAS, the President ignored repeated requests from Utah’s leaders to negotiate a compromise: and

WHEREAS, the President failed to adequately consider the social implications of national monument designation, including the fact that 200,000 acres of Utah’s school trust lands lie within the designated areas and will be rendered useless, resulting in a potential loss of billions of dollars for the education of Utah’s school children; and

WHEREAS, the President failed to consider the social implications of substantial numbers of citizens being displaced from their homes, places of employment, and way of life as a result of the loss of economic development that will follow the designation; and

WHEREAS, the President failed to adequately consider the economic implications of national monument designation, including the potential tax revenue loss to the federal and state governments and the school trust fond of billions of dollars from mineral and petroleum exploration and development and related jobs; and

WHEREAS, the President failed to adequately consider the environmental implications of national monument designation, such as that the 62 billion tons of coat deposits in the Kiaparowits Coal Basin is an extremely efficient low-sulfur, clean-burning coal and that given the vast reserves of clean-burning coal available, it is not environmentally nor economically sound to continue to “waste” clean-burning coal reserves; and

WHEREAS, to ignore large domestic deposits of our cleanest-burning coal only increases our dependence on foreign energy sources and reduces our energy and national security; and WHEREAS, the President failed to consider alternative plans that would result in a more sound environmental protection policy; and

WHEREAS, the declaration of nearly two million acres as a national monument does nothing to preserve a wilderness area- instead, the area will likely become clogged with roads and tourist buses; and

WHEREAS, an alternative proposal would allow 350,000 acres to be designed as true “wilderness” areas to preserve their natural beauty, while other areas could be designated as a national monument, and still others reserved for mineral activity; such a plan makes sense socially, economically, and environmentally; and

WHEREAS, the creation of the Grand Staircase--Escalante National Monument presents significant negative social, economic and environmental consequences for not only Utah’s citizens but all Americans:

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE [INSERT LOWER HOUSE] OF THE STATE OF [INSERT STATE] AND THE [INSERT UPPER CHAMBER] CONCURRING, supports policies which balance the social, economic and environmental needs of people and communities with the needs of environmental preservation in federal decision-making processes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the State of [INSERT STATE] urges Congress to amend the President’s unilateral action to require negotiation with the states and a stronger consideration of the social and economic consequences, including takings, in whole or in part, in the designation of national monuments and wilderness areas;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of the State of [INSERT STATE] transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, The President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and [INSERT STATE] Congressional Delegation.