The proposed Grand Canyon Protection Act would protect 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park from new uranium mining/Grand Canyon Trust

Legislation that would protect Grand Canyon National Park from uranium mining will be considered by a Senate subcommittee along with other measures that would direct the Interior and Agriculture departments to tackle forest restoration projects, allow the federal government to sell land for housing, and expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

The Grand Canyon Protection Act would safeguard roughly one million acres surrounding Grand Canyon National Park from uranium mining. The measure would honor the spiritual and cultural importance of those lands to tribes in the region, protect groundwater from contamination and ensure the Grand Canyon remains a global tourist attraction. Permanent protection of the Grand Canyon area is supported by numerous tribes, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, local business owners, hunting and angling groups, local governments, conservation groups and a vast majority of Arizonans. It was introduced by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and championed by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).

The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act would add an adjacent 3,925-acre area to the current monument, support tribal co-management, and change the name of the additional wildlands from “Walker Ridge” to Molok Luyuk—Patwin for “Condor Ridge”—a name the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation provided. In 2015, President Obama designated Berryessa Snow Mountain a national monument. The monument, along with the proposed Molok Luyuk (Condor Ridge) addition, is culturally significant to local Native American tribes and notable for its varied habitats and wildlife, including imperiled animals.

The Helping Open Underutilized Space to Ensure Shelter Act of 2022 would amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to authorize the sale of certain federal land to states and units of local government to address housing shortages. The measure was introduced by Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, Republicans from Utah, along with John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican.

The Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, introduced by Senator Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, would protect 377 miles of rivers in the Custer-Gallatin and Helena-Lewis and Clark national forests—the most significant wild and scenic designation in nearly 45 years. The bill would protect some of Montana's most iconic recreational rivers—including the Gallatin, Madison, and Smith—to ensure they are permanently protected from short-sighted special interests. The legislation brings together conservationists, outfitters, and recreationalists alike, and is supported by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, American Rivers, American Whitewater, the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and the Gallatin River Task Force.

These and other public lands measures are to considered by the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Subcommittee on Public Lands hearing on Tuesday, June 7, at 3 p.m. ET.