The question is how, when and to what degree. If confirmed by the Senate, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary. By Bill Keshlear Four years ago today, Dec. 28, 2016, President Obama dodged a 1.9 million acre proposal of the Bears Ears Inter-tribal Coalition to create Bears Ears National Monument. Their proposal would've included full management of the monument by a tribal-appointed body, the Bears Ears Management Commission, to "set policy within the boundary of the proclamation, the management plan, and MOUs or MOAs ..." according to the proposal . It would've been precedent-setting, possibly beyond the legal scope of the monument's enabling act, the Antiquities Act. Obama, ever the moderate, shrunk the tribal proposal to 1.35 million acres - redrawing its boundary, scuttling the management-commission idea and adding an energy-development zone. It was not a clear win for Bears Ears National Monument advocates, although t
It's as if a train were rumbling through spectacular wildlands, destroying everything in its path – a dark vision embraced through time by indigenous spiritual leaders. Aboard the train are rich and influential newcomers who ravage an ancient way of life and the ecosystem every living thing depends on. They not only enjoy the ride, they stoke the engine for profit and tell us it’s a good thing. They call it "progress."