Maloy Introduces Resolution to Restore Local Voices in Grand Staircase-Escalante Management

This press release from Representative Celeste Maloy (R-UT) was published on 2026-03-04 and titled "Maloy Introduces Resolution to Restore Local Voices in Grand Staircase-Escalante Management". It focuses on the environment and touches on foreign policy, trade policy.

Maloy Introduces Resolution to Restore Local Voices in Grand Staircase-Escalante Management

Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02) today introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reject the Biden administration's 2025 Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, returning management of the monument to the 2021 RMP that was developed with the input and support of local communities. The resolution is being led in the Senate by Utah Senator Mike Lee , and is cosponsored by Utah Senator John Curtis in the Senate and Utah Representatives Blake Moore (UT-01), Mike Kennedy (UT-03), and Burgess Owens (UT-04) in the House. What the Resolution Does This resolution would reject the Biden administration's 2025 RMP and restore the 2021 plan developed collaboratively with the Trump administration, local governments, and southern Utah communities. The monument's footprint is unchanged . The 2021 plan reinstates multiple-use access to lands the Biden administration had effectively closed through its RMP. Importantly, none of this land stops being federal land . The entire area would revert to standard Bureau of Land Management (BLM) management, maintaining the full protections that apply to all federal public land while restoring road access and traditional uses like hunting, grazing, and responsible land stewardship. "The 2025 Biden RMP was written without the people it affects most having any real seat at the table,” said Rep. Maloy . “That's not how land management should work. The 2021 plan was built with local communities, balanced conservation with access, and reflected the realities of life in southern Utah. This resolution uses Congress's constitutional responsibility to check executive overreach and returns management to a plan that actually listens to the people on the ground. And to be clear: this land remains federal land. It remains protected. What changes is that the communities who live here get their voice back." Background: Grand Staircase-Escalante Resource Management Plans The 2025 Biden RMP was developed with little to no meaningful input from local leaders, county governments, or the people who live and work in the region. It was opposed by virtually every local elected official in the area. That stands in sharp contrast to the 2021 RMP, which reflected years of coordination with local stakeholders and was designed to balance conservation with the real-world needs of communities that depend on access to the land. The consequences of ignoring those communities are well-documented. When President Clinton created the monument in 1996 — over the objections of the entire Utah congressional delegation and local leadership — mining operations in the region shut down, economies collapsed, schools closed, and families left. Background: The Congressional Review Act The CRA allows Congress to reject a federal agency rule within a 60-legislative-session-day window after the rule is formally reported to Congress. It requires only a simple majority in both chambers, bypassing the 60-vote threshold required to break a Senate filibuster. The CRA gives Congress the authority to review and reject federal agency rules through a simple majority vote, a tool designed to ensure the legislative branch retains meaningful oversight over executive agency decisions with the force of law. “ We have a 1.9 million acre, sweeping land-use regime finalized in the final days of a failed President, with generational consequences for rural Utah communities,” said Sen. Mike Lee . “Congress does not surrender its oversight responsibility simply because an agency labels something a ‘plan’ rather than a ‘rule.’ The GAO has now confirmed what the law makes clear: this Resource Management Plan is a rule. It carries binding consequences. It shapes what can and cannot occur across millions of acres. Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the right to review it.” Local Support Garfield County Commissioners Jerry Taylor, Leland Pollock, and David Tebbs wrote in support of the CRA : “Despite extensive written comments, alternative proposals, and supporting data, very little of the County’s input was incorporated into the final plan. The GAO’s determination provides Congress with an appropriate opportunity to review the plan and consider whether it reflects a lawful, coordinated, and balanced approach to land management. Given the lack of meaningful coordination with affected local governments, Garfield County supports congressional oversight and review under the CRA.” Kane County Commissioners Gwen Brown, Celeste Meyers, and Patty Kubeja joined in supporting the resolution : “The Kane County Commission supports congressional action under the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the BLM Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Commission urges Congress to ensure that future land management reflects statutory intent, respects local governments, and preserves reasonable access and multipl