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Monumental Battle

History is etched into the striped sandstone canyons of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. The Grand Staircase began forming 250 million years ago, as colliding landmasses lifted the Colorado Plateau while rivers dug into it. It is, says environmentalist Ken Rait, "a land of outstanding beauty."

It is also a land at the heart of a battle that pits environmentalists and the U.S. government against many of Utah's residents. For years people have fought over the fate of these 1.7 million acres. Locked in the area's rocks are as much as 62 billion tons of coal, plus plenty of valuable oil and natural gas. Mining coal from just one site in the area could mean a $3 billion profit for Utah. An additional $1 billion in coal profits would flow into the state's school systems. Environmentalists argue that mining would destroy one of the most magnificent spots in America.

No Mining, Please
In September, President Bill Clinton signed an order that made this huge stretch of Utah a national monument. Tourists and locals can continue to use the area for hunting, camping and grazing. But mining is discouraged.

After the President signed the order, shops and schools near the monument closed in protest. Many people in that area believe Utah's economy needs the jobs and money that mining brings in. Some Utahns are taking their protests a step further. They have been building roads across the protected lands. Under the law, land that is already developed and in use is freed from some federal protection. "They're cutting roads all over the place out here," says Rait.

The Clinton Administration is sticking to its decision to protect the monument. Last week, however, federal officials met with local leaders in Utah to find ways to protect the local economy as well. Says Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt: "We want to live together out there."

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