MONTICELLO, Utah – A coalition of Native American tribes is calling on the Obama administration to designate the Bears Ears region of southern Utah as a national monument.

The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition is seeking to protect the area, which the coalition says has significant cultural and historic meaning.

The coalition includes the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni and Ute Indian Tribe.

Carlton Bowekaty, a councilman with the Pueblo of Zuni, says the area was home to many of the tribe's ancestors.

"The reason why these areas are so important to us is that it allows us to reconnect to our history,” he explains. “Our history is passed orally, and a lot of our prayers and history comes through in certain terms we don't always understand."

The region contains massive red rock canyons, high mesas, and more than 100,000 Native American archaeological and cultural sites.

However, Bowekaty says it remains largely unprotected and is threatened by looting and off-road vehicle damage.

The coalition's effort took a major step toward its goal this week when Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced she would visit Bears Ears and confer with tribes and local citizens about its importance.

Bowekaty says his Zuni tribe feels the coalition is key to the area becoming a national monument.

"We definitely feel that we have a connection that extends beyond our reservation and, in partnering with the other tribes, this is one of those moments where the tribes can extend that handshake across reservation lines for the greater good of our people," he stresses.

In addition, Davis Filfred, a Navajo Nation Council delegate from Utah, says the Bears Ears effort is unanimously supported by the Navajo Nation Council, and has overwhelming support from grassroots Navajo people and Navajo Chapters in Utah.





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Pittsburgh is emerging as a leader in innovative solutions like electric vehicles and clean energy to combat the climate crisis. The group Elected Officials to Protect America says in 2022, electric vehicle registrations increased by about 82% from the previous year.

Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Allegheny County, envisions Pittsburgh as a future leader in the green economy, bolstered by strong labor unions and academic institutions.

"So whether it's solar for schools, or capping oil wells or any number of things that move us away from fossil fuels, transitioning over to electric vehicles. Transitioning away from fossil fuels is a huge way that we can make sure that we are protecting our citizens now," she explained.

The state is using funds from sources like the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a historic investment of $370 billion to fight climate change over the next decade. Pennsylvania's goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 is the same target President Joe Biden set for the nation.

Erika Strassburger, Pittsburgh City Council member, said the biggest benefit of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure law - especially in western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh - is that they've been major job creators.

"You don't have to go too far outside of Pittsburgh, to the Mon Valley, to see 600 new jobs created in a battery manufacturing plant that will help the electrification of our vehicles and of our systems. And those are jobs that wouldn't have otherwise been created without these federal investments," she explained.

Strassburger pointed out federal funding will allow Pittsburgh to invest $15 million in electric vehicles for its city fleet, and she added that the transition is expected to save energy, reduce gas consumption, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars in the long run.

"If we can expand that, which is our intention to reduce the energy burden - for starting with 100 City of Pittsburgh residents by the end of this year, and then over the next six years, do so for 10,000 residents across the region - that means that the greatest benefit we're seeing is people paying less out of their paycheck toward energy" she continued.

Pennsylvania has seen a significant increase in EV purchases. At the start of this year, more than 47,000 electric vehicles were registered in the state.

Iowa has thousands fewer square miles than Nebraska but it has almost 3,000 more concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.

Opponents of the giant facilities argue there are enough. The increase in CAFOs nationwide has fueled opposition from nearby residents, along with environmental and animal rights groups.

In Iowa, one grassroots group has prevented around 100 of them from being built. Barb Kalbach, president of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, attributes Iowa's dismal water quality in large part to runoff from animal waste, applied to farm fields along with commercial fertilizer. Kalbach thinks rural Nebraska communities should also oppose such developments.

"That manure has to go somewhere," Kalbach pointed out. "It's not a question of, 'Well, should I, or I shouldn't I, put it on the ground,' you know? It's got to go. They've got to empty the pit, and so it's going to go. And if you have any kind of water issues whatsoever, people need to organize immediately."

The Environmental Protection Agency calls animal manure "a primary source of nitrogen and phosphorus to surface and groundwater." Roughly 20% of public water supplies and private wells in Nebraska test above recommended nitrate and nitrogen levels.

Jonathan Leo, a Nebraska environmental and land-use attorney, said CAFO owners usually contract with local farmers to use the animal waste. He noted for the largest operations, the massive amount of waste makes a methane digester system imperative.

"It breaks down manure into methane, which is a major greenhouse gas, for sale as an energy source to third parties," Leo explained. "And digestate, which is sold to off-site farmers as a nutrient additive to soil."

Leo and others helped residents of a small Nebraska town prevent development of a CAFO by an Iowa producer for more than 6,000 head of swine. Leo pointed out many who opposed it were farmers themselves.

"We worked with them about how to organize and understand their county's ordinance, with respect to CAFO permitting," Leo recounted. "And they appeared before their county board and their planning commission in a way that their own supervisors said, 'We've never seen this kind of citizen activism before.'"

The defeated operation would have been about a half-mile uphill from a stream which feeds a state recreation area lake used for swimming, boating and fishing.

As a result of a lawsuit by Food and Water Watch, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to begin studying the polluting effects of CAFOs, after years of being urged to do so.

A summer of fires, floods and extreme heat have prompted a series of climate change town halls in New Mexico this month, ahead of the 2025 legislative session.

Camilla Feibelman, director of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the meetings will engage with communities. She explained the idea is to make sure they know about federal, state and utility incentives helping people weatherize homes, increase the efficiency of appliances, install solar panels and purchase electric vehicles.

"At the same time, wanting to know from people what could our transition look like?," Feibelman pointed out. "What are the kinds of jobs that people could have; what kind of legislation they'd like us to work on in this next 60 days."

The first town hall is Aug. 8 in Albuquerque, followed by others in Las Cruces, Taos and Santa Fe. New Mexico state legislators will be on hand for each of the sessions, which begin at 5:30 p.m.

Feibelman acknowledged New Mexico has done a lot of work to address climate change, including clean car rules, solar credits and energy-efficient building codes. There are also new laws to reduce methane and smog from oil and gas production. But as she noted, it remains a complex problem.

"Because the Permian oil boom is so big and so profound, it's like the goal post is getting pushed out," Feibelman stressed. "If we were to truly reduce our emissions in the way that a crisis like this demands, we're going to have to really take comprehensive action."

She added those people who have long depended on jobs in the fossil fuel industry must also have a sustainable path forward as the climate crisis is addressed. Feibelman sees the town halls as a good opportunity for people to learn the vast impacts of climate change, including how it worsens their allergies.

"We want people to feel like they're coming away from these town halls with some small steps they can take at home," Feibelman emphasized. "And some more comprehensive ways they can get involved in the decision-making and legislative process."

New Mexico residents have long been happy about having fewer mosquitoes than many states, but climate change has unexpectedly brought a new variety to Albuquerque, making it difficult to be outside during summer months.