5/22: Information for Bear Ears Public Comment

The Public Lands Committee has important information to help you be effective while making public comments on Bears Ears National Monument.

Letter to Robert Zinke (print & send): Draft-Zinke-Letter.pdf

Secretary Zinke has been directed to consider the following items in making his decision on Bears Ears and the other National Monuments under review:

(i) The requirements and original objectives of the Act, including the Act’s requirement that reservations of land not exceed “the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected”;

(ii) whether designated lands are appropriately classified under the Act as “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, [or] other objects of historic or scientific interest”;

(iii) the effects of a designation on the available uses of designated Federal lands, including consideration of the multiple-use policy of section 102(a)(7) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1701(a)(7)), as well as the effects on the available uses of Federal lands beyond the monument boundaries;

(iv) the effects of a designation on the use and enjoyment of non-Federal lands within or beyond monument boundaries;

(v) concerns of State, tribal, and local governments affected by a designation, including the economic development and fiscal condition of affected States, tribes, and localities;

(vi) the availability of Federal resources to properly manage designated areas; and

(vii) such other factors as the Secretary deems appropriate. 82 FR 20429-20430 (May 1, 2017).

PLEASE use these items in your comment letter to Zinke. Be as specific as you can. The more local and specific the comment letter, the better.

Comments may be submitted at http://www.regulations.gov by entering “DOI-2017-0002” in the Search bar; that will take you to the place you can comment; hit the “Comment Now” button; then you can type directly on the page or up-load a word document you have already typed.