From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):
President Biden just announced that he’s fully restoring protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, as well as for the U.S. Atlantic’s only marine monument, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.
From the first days of the Trump administration, we mobilized to defend our public lands and waters from oil and gas drilling, logging and deep-sea mining that would devastate these natural wonders.
And when the Biden administration came into office, one of our first requests was that it restore protections for these places.
Since the Trump administration first took steps to erase protections for these incredible places, PennEnvironment and our national network mobilized the public and generated more than 425,000 messages to decision-makers, helping to turn the tide in favor of preservation.
Our country has a long history of ensuring “America the Beautiful” exists for generations to come. By restoring safeguards to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, we can rest assured that these treasured areas will remain a part of that lasting legacy.
And because all three of these monuments protect biodiversity and critical habitat, this victory will help the U.S. move closer to protecting 30% of our important lands and waters.
These monuments weren’t the only public lands under attack. From stopping old-growth logging in the Tongass National Forest to permanently protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protecting special places right here in Pennsylvania, we still have our work cut out for us.
But today’s announcement is an important victory in our campaign to defend public lands.
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