Utah Delegation Moves to Block Biden-Era Grand Staircase Land-Use Rule
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mike Kennedy (UT-03), alongside Utah’s congressional delegation, introduced a Joint Resolution of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Biden era Resource Management Plan for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
On January 13, 2025, as a lame-duck president in the final stretch of his term, President Biden’s Bureau of Land Management pushed out its Record of Decision approving a sweeping new Resource Management Plan governing nearly 1.9 million acres in southern Utah. The plan locks in binding management direction for visitation, access, and allowable uses. It was developed in Washington, D.C., detached from the realities facing the Utah communities most affected.
Recently, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the Grand Staircase–Escalante RMP qualifies as a “rule” under the Administrative Procedure Act and therefore falls within the scope of the Congressional Review Act. The GAO determined that the plan is an agency statement of future effect with binding legal consequences, including the designation of lands as available or unavailable for certain uses. It does not fall within any of the Act’s limited exceptions.
Under the Congressional Review Act, any such rule must be submitted to both chambers of Congress and the Comptroller General before it can take effect. The Joint Resolution introduced today is grounded in the GAO’s determination and ensures Congress exercises its statutory authority to review and, if necessary, disapprove of agency actions of this magnitude.
If enacted, the Joint Resolution of Disapproval would nullify the Grand Staircase–Escalante RMP and prevent the issuance of any substantially similar rule absent further authorization from Congress.
“We must ensure that Utah has a meaningful voice in how land within its borders is managed, allow for responsible mineral development and energy production, strengthen local economies and support domestic resource security.,” said Congressman Mike Kennedy. “ We can protect the landscape while also recognizing the importance of jobs, access, and state input in federal land decisions.”
“With our County being engulfed by 80% monument, the crushing restrictions of the 2025 rules severely impact local families and business owners,” said the Kane County Commission. “We are overjoyed to hear of these efforts to return power to our duly elected federal delegation.”
“With Garfield County sitting at the very heart of Grand Staircase–Escalante, the sweeping restrictions contained in the 2025 management plan fall squarely on the backs of our residents and small businesses,” said the Garfield County Commission. “Our communities live with the day-to-day consequences of decisions made about these lands. We appreciate our congressional delegation stepping forward to ensure these decisions receive proper review and that the voices of Garfield County are heard.”
“The Antiquities Act was written to protect specific objects and to reserve only the smallest area compatible with their protection,” said Senator Lee. “Instead, we have a 1.9 million acre, sweeping land-use regime finalized in the last days of a failed President, with generational consequences for rural Utah communities. 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.”
“Our lands are best managed and most appreciated by those who live closest to them. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration’s overreaching management plan for the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument clearly does not reflect the full spectrum of voices who live and work in the area,” said Senator Curtis. “This resolution will help ensure that future management plans better serve the long-term interests of Utahns, not distant federal agencies.”
“Major land-use decisions impacting millions of acres and generations of Utahns should not bypass congressional oversight. No one manages Utah’s lands better than the people of Utah,” said Representative Moore. “We have shown that we can protect natural treasures while also supporting grazing, recreation, tourism, and responsible energy development. We’ve consistently demonstrated that we deserve a seat at the table, and this decision will help ensure Utah’s lands are not used by administrations to advance political goals that ignore local needs, thereby avoiding Congressional oversight.”
“For too long, Grand Staircase–Escalante has been used as a political talking point in Washington,” said Representative Owens. “Almost 30 years ago, in Arizona and with his back turned to Utah, President Clinton abused the Antiquities Act that locked up millions of acres of Utah. Then again, thousands of miles away in the in a last-ditch effort to enshrine a failed legacy of an awful president, this overreaching rule was issued in both instances these sweeping decisions framed as "environmental victories” sidelined the voices of southern Utah. The people who live, work, and raise their families near these lands deserve a seat at the table. Our responsibility is not to score political points — it is to improve quality of life, protect rural jobs, and ensure local communities are heard. The GAO has confirmed this action qualifies as a rule, and Congress has a duty to conduct a thorough review with meaningful input from community leaders and stakeholders across southern Utah.
“The people most affected by government decisions should have the most input,” said Representative Maloy. “The 2020 GSENM plan was built with local communities, balanced conservation with access, and reflected the realities of life in southern Utah. This CRA is Congress exercising our constitutional responsibility to check executive overreach. And to be clear: this land remains federal land. It remains protected. The CRA is holding the agency accountable to the local people we represent.”
“This is the right move by our federal delegation,” said Governor Cox. “The Biden Administration advanced a rigid, top-down plan without coordinating with the state, putting livestock grazing, public access, recreation, and rural Utah’s economy at risk. Rural Utahns deserve a seat at the table when decisions like this are made.”
Read the full resolution here.