Press Release
October 8, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Hersh-Walker, 510-759-2921, [email protected]
OAKLAND, CA – California Environmental Voters today released the following statement responding to President Biden restoring Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument located east-southeast of Cape Cod. This action reverses the last administration’s illegal action to strip protections from these public lands and waters.
Statement from Mike Young, Political and Organizing Director, California Environmental Voters:
“It is great news that President Biden has restored and protected Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments. In particular, we are glad that the president fulfilled his promise to Indigenous communities to protect Bears Ears.
With this important goal accomplished, we must look ahead to how the Biden administration can achieve its ambitious conservation goals. The president has set an important benchmark of protecting 30% of our federal lands and waters by 2030, a goal that will help address the impacts of the climate crisis and increase access to the outdoors for all Americans.
Here in California, there are many opportunities to protect public lands. Senator Alex Padilla is championing the PUBLIC Lands Act, an effort to protect over a million acres of public lands and over 500 miles of rivers in the state. We are eager to see this bill move forward so that our public lands will be protected for generations to come.”
The statement from the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal coalition responding to the restoration of Bears Ears is available as a resource here.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
