This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After many years of public campaigning, the Antiquities Act was passed by Congress in 1906 to give the president the authority to set aside for protection "historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the government of the United States," noting for the first time the importance of these archaeological sites as public resources.
Similarly, after years of public campaigning (including by an unprecedented coalition of native governments), and coming directly on the heels of the failure of Rep. Rob Bishop's "grand bargain" (PLI) due to its unbalanced approach to our public domain, President Barack Obama responded and designated Bears Ears National Monument to protect a land of deep archaeological importance.
Since then, virtually every single elected Republican in Utah, despite boundless (and consistent) facts to the contrary, has bemoaned the designation of Bears Ears as a "unilateral" and "midnight" decision; a "land grab" brought by "overreach" that will be "damaging to local economies," which should be able to exercise "local control" over what belongs to everyone.
I question the motives and integrity of each and every elected politician who votes to gut our public land. I question their honesty and who they think they're representing when poll after poll shows the vast majority supports leaving our public lands as they are.
I challenge these public servants to prove they aren't simply bought-and-paid-for stooges; the evidence against them seems to suggest otherwise.
Mike Coronella
Moab