This piece originally appeared as a press release for the National Wildlife Federation on August 30, 2021
By Mary Jo Brooks | 08/30/2021
PHOENIX —The House Natural Resources Committee’s Build Back Better Act provisions will right an egregious wrong by protecting Chi'Chil Biłdagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, from a destructive proposed copper mine and help safeguard the Grand Canyon from uranium mining for future generations. The proposals keep faith with the arguments the San Carlos Apache and other Indigenous communities have made to Congress to protect sacred landscapes, cultural artifacts, important wildlife habitat, and clean drinking water.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 28, 2021) — Congress should reverse an Arizona land transfer that threatens a religious and cultural site for the Apache and other Indigenous peoples by swiftly passing legislation the House Natural Resources Committee approved today. The Save Oak Flat Act, introduced by Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), would revoke a land transfer and halt a planned copper mine at Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, also known as Oak Flat.
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Thursday, March 25, 2021 – Leaders from across the nation joined Thursday evening’s Clean Energy Economy and Justice Roundtable, calling for policy changes that would center the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities, while holding the administration accountable to implement these changes.
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It’s not everyday we get to see a Latinx family enjoying an adventure outdoors. In partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, HECHO collaborated to host an advanced screening of Dora and the Lost City of Gold across New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 26, 2019) — A new management plan for the tiny areas that replaced the Bears Ears National Monument would risk the degradation and destruction of Native American historical and cultural artifacts, wildlife habitat, public health and public lands throughout southern Utah. The National Wildlife Federation and allies urged the Bureau of Land Management to reverse course before the cultural, historical and natural resources are irrevocably lost.
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“We support this bill and are in solidarity with the indigenous communities who have been fighting for decades to protect ancestral lands and waters from toxic contamination in this area,” said Camilla Simon, executive director of Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO). “We are proud of House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Grijalva’s leadership and thank him for introducing this bill to permanently ban uranium mining around the Grand Canyon.”
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Early last year, the National Wildlife Federation formed a strategic partnership with HECHO (Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors). The conservation group provides an effective voice for communities that traditionally have been underrepresented on matters relating to the environment. “HECHO is a national leader on public lands issues, and NWF is proud to have such a powerful partner to advance our collective conservation priorities,” says NWF Regional Executive Director Brian Kurzel.
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At HECHO, we support making public lands management more responsive to local communities and diverse stakeholders. However, this bill would not only give states ‘exclusive jurisdiction’ over oil and gas development on our public lands, but it would also exempt states from following our laws requiring public involvement and reviews.
There’s no guarantee that states would provide the same opportunities for public comment or conduct the kind of environmental analysis that the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service do. This bill amounts to a de facto transfer of national public lands to the states, and we are very much opposed to it.
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“We’ve been asking for commonsense updates to oil and gas leasing policies established in the 1920s for years, but this proposal is a loser. The fees we should be raising are oil and gas royalty rates, which currently offer up our public lands at rock bottom rates.
We at HECHO value both our public lands and our voices. This policy of ‘pay to say’ would not only charge $150 or more just to object to an oil and gas lease on public lands, but it would also have a chilling effect on our constitutional right to petition our government. Our deep ties to the land and generations-old traditions on the land compel us, as stewards, to reject any attempt to drown out our voices, especially when it comes to decisions being made about our public lands.
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