Rep. Gallego Praises the Biden Administration for Restoring Conservation Protections to the Bears Ears National Monument
WASHINGTON, DC–After the Trump Administration illegally slashed the size of the Bears Ears Monument in 2017, Rep. Ruben Gallego vocally opposed the move and urged the Biden Administration to restore the conservation protections to the national monument. Today, Rep. Gallego lauded the Biden Administration for keeping its promise to restore the Monument.
"The restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument is proof of the Biden Administration's commitment to listen to and engage with Tribal communities," said Rep. Gallego. "Bears Ears is sacred and restoring conservation protections is a necessary action to right the wrongs of the previous administration's callousness and disregard of Indigenous peoples. As a leader in the House of Representatives who first called for the restoration of Bears Ears in 2017, I look forward to joining the Biden White House for the signing of the executive order and applaud the Administration for not only following the advice of Members of Congress, but for listening to and respecting the voices of the Navajo Nation, Hopi, Zuni, Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute."
Rep. Gallego has repeatedly called for the restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument. In 2017, Rep. Gallego introduced H.R. 4518, the Bears Ears National Monument Expansion Act. In 2019, Rep. Gallego, along with now-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, introduced legislation restoring and expanding protections for the Bears Ears National Monument. In April of this year, Rep. Gallego and Natural Resources Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva led 47 Members of Congress in a letter to the Biden Administration urging the White House to immediately restores the boundaries of the Monument and to strongly consider expanding the Monument in line with the original proposal of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
###
Rep. Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.