PANGUITCH, Utah (AP) — Residents of the southern Utah county that houses part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument are speaking out against a plan to shrink it.
KSL-TV reports that at a Tuesday meeting, residents told Garfield County commissioners that they rely on the monument for business and recreation.
Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature says the southern Utah monument declared 20 years ago is too large and locked up natural resources. The Senate has approved a resolution calling for the monument to be shrunk in size.
Commissioners say the resolution would represent the majority interest of citizens in Garfield County.
The commission postponed any action and set a public hearing on the issue for March 13.