Gosar bills to scrap protections for two Arizona monuments

Posted by Donovan Quintero | Sep 25, 2025 | News |

WINDOW ROCK

Conservation groups are condemning new legislation from Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) that would wipe out protections for two Arizona national monuments created to block new uranium, copper and gold mining.

Gosar introduced two measures – the Northern Arizona Protection Act and the Southern Arizona Protection Act – that would void the designations for Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and Ironwood Forest National Monument. The bills were filed Wednesday, Sept. 17, and sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Announcing the legislation, Gosar said the measures would restore Congress’ role over large landscape decisions. “The reckless declaration of vast national monuments has locked up thousands of acres of land, placing them off limits to responsible mining, energy development and other multiple-use purposes that help fuel our economy and support American energy independence,” he said. He added that the bills “assert Congress’ role and return to a balanced approach where conservation and economic development work in concert.”

Gosar also criticized how recent monuments have been created. “The Antiquities Act used to establish the national monuments was never intended to be a tool ‘for radical environmentalists and their political cronies in Washington, D.C., to block access to America’s abundant and much-needed resources,’” he said, and later added: “Federal lands belong to the American people, not unelected bureaucrats or woke presidents who abuse executive authority to shut them off from productive use.”

The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni monument was designated in 2023 by President Biden under the Antiquities Act. The order set aside nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon to prevent new uranium mining. The name reflects the area’s cultural significance: Baaj Nwaavjo means “where tribes roam” in Havasupai, and I’tah Kukveni means “our footprints” in Hopi. According to the National Wildlife Federation, 80% of Arizona voters support keeping those protections in place, and the monument is tied to 12 tribes and nations.

To read the full article, please see the Sept. 25, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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