Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen and his fellow lawmakers are promising a legal battle against the Biden Administration in the wake of what they say is “a dictator-style land grab last month in northern Arizona.”
Last month, Biden unilaterally designated a new national monument near the Grand Canyon in his administration’s continuing effort to permanently ban new uranium mining claims in the area and mining in general.
Republicans say the move is “blatantly unconstitutional” and an attempt to confiscate nearly a million acres of land within Coconino and Mohave counties to designate as a “national monument.”
“It is frustrating to have to spend so much time fighting against a hostile federal government that seeks to undermine so many states, but the battle is definitely worth it,” said Senator Janae Shamp. “The Biden Administration needs to be held accountable for its abusive actions.”
Republicans argue that the designation is “nothing more than a publicity stunt” Biden is using to “appeal to his radical environmental base, while in tandem creating dire consequences for the livelihoods of our citizens, Arizona’s economy, as well as our nation’s energy supply.”
Petersen is directing attorneys to identify all citizens, industries and local governments impacted by this gross overreach and to create a coalition to further examine the detrimental effects President Biden’s land grab is imposing on our state. A fact-finding phase is currently underway, with a goal of filing suit against the Biden Administration by the end of 2023 or early 2024.”
“Our nation as a whole is suffering under the incompetence of the Biden Administration, and I will not sit back while he issues another unlawful executive order harming Arizonans,” said Petersen. “It’s clear he has declared war on American energy production, as our citizens continue to feel the pain of $5 a gallon gas under his radical agenda. Now, he wants to cripple mining across the U.S. and further exacerbate our dependency on dangerous foreign nations for our energy supply, which will continue to drive up costs for taxpayers amid historic inflation.”
“Using the guise of creating a ‘Grand Canyon’ national monument in a remote area that is not even connected to the Grand Canyon is completely disingenuous,” continued Petersen. “This move has nothing to do with protecting the Grand Canyon. It has everything to do with fulfilling his tyrannical desires to block responsible mining and agriculture production in an effort cater to the extremists who elected him to office. I look forward to fighting on behalf of Arizona in court.”