National Monuments Threatened Again

On February 3, 2025, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued Secretarial Order 3418, “Unleashing American Energy,” which sets a deadline of today, February 18, 2025, for agency staff to prepare "action plans" outlining steps to review and revise national monuments. The goal? To remove protections and make more national public lands available for mining and oil and gas drilling.

In President Trump’s first term, he attempted to unlawfully slash Bears Ears by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by almost half. We challenged those actions in court, and in 2021, President Biden restored both monuments. Now, in a bid to increase mining and oil and gas development, Secretary Burgum’s new order reaches beyond just Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah to potentially target Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni in Arizona and all other national monuments managed by the Department of the Interior (which includes the National Park Service) for revision or elimination.

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Grand Canyon conservation is vital to preserving one of the most iconic natural wonders of the world. This magnificent landscape, with its intricate geological formations and diverse ecosystems, faces numerous threats from climate change, pollution, and human activity. Efforts to protect the Grand Canyon involve collaborative initiatives that promote sustainable tourism, restoration of native habitats, and education about the importance of biodiversity.