Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1) will not support the Sedona Verde Valley National Monument designation which falls in her Congressional district, a bi-partisan position shared by a majority in the state.
Sedona AZ (November 6, 2015) – Today, U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ-4) introduced H.R. 3946, the Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, legislation that empowers local communities and amends the 1906 Antiquities Act in order to protect property rights, water rights and jobs from presidential abuse.
The bill already has 25 co-sponsors and more than 30 endorsements including Yavapai County Supervisors Thomas Thurman, Craig Brown and Jack Smith, and Arizona Liberty. H.R. 3946 is supported by all five Arizona Republicans and blocks two misguided monument efforts in the Grand Canyon Watershed and the Sedona Verde Valley, both of which have significant local opposition. The bill accomplishes this task by explicitly prohibiting declarations in Coconino, Mohave and Yavapai counties by executive fiat. Congressman Gosar’s bill requires concurrence from local communities and the State before any future declarations can be made under the Antiquities Act.
Rep. Gosar earlier in the week slammed Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva’s bill that seeks to lock up 1.7 million acres in northern Arizona which can be found here.
On October 29, 2015, at the bi-weekly meeting of the Sedona Verde Valley Red Rock National Monument Coalition, cancelled at the last minute at 1:00 p.m. in the KSB Pushmataha Center, 360 Brewer Road, Sedona, Arizona, four Sedona citizens representing Arizona Liberty were “allowed” to ask two questions and then asked to leave.
AZ U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar introduced H.R. 3946, the Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, legislation to amend the 1906 Antiquities Act to require concurrence from local communities and the State before any future declarations can be made under the Act.
Upon their departure, the coalition was presented with the following Arizona Liberty letter:
What gives Keep Sedona Beautiful the right to decide the future of 80,000 citizens of the Verde Valley?
In the United States and the great State of Arizona, we live in a constitutional republic where the people have a voice. The citizens of the Verde Valley have spoken with an overwhelming rejection of the Keep Sedona Beautiful proposed national monument (Red Rock News Poll 7-1, Verde Independent Poll 4-1, Sedona City Council Vote 6-1, Big Park Regional Council Vote 16-6, our Yavapai County Supervisors and our Arizona State Senators and Representatives). Arizona Liberty’s independent in-depth research has demonstrated that a national monument designation will negatively impact our way of life here in the Verde Valley.
For the benefit and preservation of the Keep Sedona Beautiful longstanding reputation and, in the spirit of goodwill with the 80,000 Verde Valley citizens, Arizona Liberty requests that Keep Sedona Beautiful, the Monument Work Group, the Coalition and the Sierra Club release a formal public statement that any and all further efforts on behalf of a proposed national monument be immediately terminated.
For Keep Sedona Beautiful to continue to pursue this effort will unquestionably be a detriment of not only its reputation and record, but to its relationship with the public for the foreseeable future.
If Keep Sedona Beautiful decides to terminates its monument efforts, then work to further protect our public lands can proceed in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, local conservationists, and land management professionals. If not, Arizona Liberty will work with the Arizona State Attorney General’s Office, the Arizona State Land Commissioner, the Arizona Legislative Districts (6 and 1) State Representatives and Senators, and the American Lands Council to stop its efforts through any and all legal and legislative actions necessary. In addition, Arizona Liberty will continue to work with the U.S. Senators and Representatives to stop the Keep Sedona Beautiful efforts through federal legislation.
Arizona Liberty would appreciate the courtesy of a timely response. If your public statement is not released by November 6, 2015, Arizona Liberty will conclude that you are not interested in working cooperatively with the rest of the Verde Valley and will take the appropriate action.
Signed,
ARIZONA LIBERTY
October 29, 2015
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Darn straight skippy. Go back to worthwhile efforts KSB.
Last week I got a phone call from one of Anne Kirkpatrick’s aides. She said she was calling to let me know that, because I had written the congresswoman about the national monument issue, the congresswoman wanted me to know that she was against the national monument idea for the Verde Valley.
I have been writing congresspersons since the 1960s. Getting an unequivocal response is rare, but getting a phone call instead of a form letter or email from a congressperson in response to something I have written them about is unprecedented. It tells me that the national monument idea is extremely politically toxic and that Kirkpatrick wants to put as much distance between her and the national monument idea as possible.
The twenty-two National Monuments located within Arizona total 3.7 million acres. The addition of the proposed 1.7 million acre GCWNM AND 160,000 acre SVVRRNM would increase Arizona’s total National Monument acreage by 150 percent to 5.5 million acres.
The total size of National Monuments within Arizona would then exceed each individual size of the states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island, an area 127 times larger than Washington DC.
They continue to try and erase those of us opposed. Ann, if you go back on your word, you will never get me to vote for you again. Chip Davis, stand up and be a man. Tom, stop sending emails asking for money twice a day and get out of the race because you lack funding and honor.
Short answer to headline? Nothing gives KSB the right.