Shash Jaa National Monument and Indian Creek National Monument Act

Shash Jaa National Monument and Indian Creek National Monument Act

This bill withdraws all federal lands and interests within the exterior boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah as declared under Presidential Proclamation 9558, dated December 28, 2016, from:

• entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws;
• location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
• operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.

The bill declares that such proclamation is null and void.

The bill establishes the Shash Jaa National Monument (consisting of approximately 142,337 acres) and the Indian Creek National Monument (consisting of approximately 86,447 acres), to be managed by the Shash Jaa Tribal Management and Indian Creek Management Councils, respectively.

The previously established Bears Ears Commission shall advise the councils.

The councils shall establish resources protection units to help conserve unique and nationally important historic, sacred, cultural, scientific, scenic, archaeological, natural, and educational resources within their respective monument.

Such monuments are withdrawn from:

• entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws;
• location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
• operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.

The Department of the Interior and the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration shall enter into an exchange of federal and state trust lands, at the completion of which the state trust lands shall be added to the Shash Jaa or the Indian Creek National Monument.