Rep. Jason Chaffetz met with Pr*sident Trump Tuesday. Atop the Utah Republican’s short list of topics to discuss was another of his attacks on public lands. This time it was the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument that President Obama designated in December. Chaffetz would like to see the whole monument rescinded, but short of that would settle for a vast reduction in acreage. Trump, Chaffetz said, did not say how or if he will act in the matter:
Chris Saeger, Executive Director of the Western Values Project, released a statement in response to Chaffetz’s meeting with Trump.
“If this is the same Congressman Chaffetz who just dropped a plan to sell off public lands, then he’s going to have to explain how opening up Bears Ears to private development is any different,” Saeger said. “The bottom line is if you value public lands, you should make sure their value isn’t threatened. If protections for Bears Ears are dropped, that’s exactly what will happen.”
Chaffetz isn’t the only Utah Republican who wants the Bears Ears designation as a national monument rescinded. He’s also got the extremist Rep. Rob Bishop in his corner, as noted by my colleague Walter Einenkel. Bishop has also met with Trump about Bears Ears. And last week, the GOP-dominated Utah legislature passed and Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution calling for a reversal of Obama’s monument decision.
Some lawmakers say they are mostly upset because Bears Ears was designated by a presidential decision instead of by congressional action. But, given that the 111-year-old law on the matter says either the president or Congress can designate monuments, the bogus separation-of-powers stance of the would-be rescinders is merely covering smoke for their real desire: getting the federal government to turn over public lands to the states. If that were to happen, there’s little doubt that much of what has been public land would soon be in private hands.
Legal authorities note that no president ever has retracted a monument designated by a predecessor, and the courts have several times backed up executive authority in the matter, beginning with the case of Cameron vs. United States in 1920.
Prior to his meeting with Trump, Chaffetz had introduced legislation to sell more than 3.3 million acres of federal land in 10 Western states. But the immediate outcry generated by Montanans, New Mexicans, and people in other states over his Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act spurred Chaffetz to withdraw the bill. The complaints didn’t just come from environmental advocates, but also from hunters and fishermen, as well as operators of small businesses who benefit from the nation’s $646 billion outdoor recreation industry, much of it centered in the West:
Land Tawney, president and CEO of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, a group that supported public land rallies in opposition. “What happened last week was just a small fraction of the ire the sportsman community has been feeling.” [...]
“We’re fired up, and this is just the beginning,” said Tawney, who promised that sportsmen would keep fighting the manifold attacks on public lands.
And now there’s the beginning of what could become a big problem for Chaffetz, Bishop, and others from the turn-the-land-over-to-the-states crowd.
The organizers of the biannual Outdoor Retailer show held in Salt Lake City are looking for bids from other cities because of the anti-public lands policies being promoted by Utah’s lawmakers. Impetus for the move comes in part from industry, like retailer Patagonia:
“Because of the hostile environment they have created and their blatant disregard for Bears Ears National Monument and other public lands, the backbone of our business, Patagonia will no longer attend the Outdoor Retailer show in Utah,” Patagonia president and CEO, Rose Marcario, said in a statement. “We are confident other outdoor manufacturers and retailers will join us in moving our investment to a state that values our industry and promotes public lands conservation.”
Rep. Chaffetz may be on the path to learning what happens when you grab a cougar by the tail.