Utah House Democratic Leader Angela Romero Responds to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Reductions

For Immediate Release

July 13, 2026

Contact:

Jessica Lowell

Utah House Minority Caucus

801-834-3531  | jlowell@le.utah.gov 

  Utah House Democratic Leader Angela Romero Responds to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Reductions

SALT LAKE CITY—Utah House Democratic Leader Angela Romero, the first and only enrolled member of a federally recognized Tribe to serve in the Utah House of Representatives, issued the following statement in response to attacks on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments:

"This back-and-forth with every administration has to stop. These lands deserve the protections that come with national monument status. Less than a decade ago, the Trump administration reduced protections for these same monuments despite overwhelming public support and the objections of the Tribal Nations whose ancestors have lived on these lands for thousands of years.

The federal government should honor Tribal Nations’ wishes by protecting these sacred lands from unnecessary development and overuse. These are places where Tribal history, culture, and spiritual traditions continue today. Future generations deserve the opportunity to experience these places as they have existed for centuries."

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