Native American Tribes Call the Grand Staircase Monument Plan Essential to Their Heritage
Via Utah News Dispatch
Summary
A plan from Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Celeste Maloy to overturn Biden era management guidelines for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument using the Congressional Review Act missed its deadline Thursday, leaving the 1.9 million acre protected area's 2025 management plan intact.
Lee and Maloy argued the 2025 guidelines went too far in restricting road access and other uses, while a coalition of Native American tribes celebrated the outcome, saying the current plan protects ancestral lands, cultural sites, and a new framework for tribal consultation and shared stewardship.
With the fast track pathway now closed, Lee would need 60 Senate votes to overcome a filibuster, a threshold the tribal coalition said he is unlikely to reach.
The monument's contested history spans decades, from its creation under President Bill Clinton in 1996 to boundary reductions under President Trump in 2017 and full restoration under President Biden in 2021.
