Utah’s national parks are among the most breathtaking places in the world. People travel from every corner of the country—and the globe—to stand in awe of Zion’s towering cliffs, Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos, Capitol Reef’s colorful canyons, and the wild stretches of Grand Staircase-Escalante.

But now, those iconic views are at risk.

In October 2025, the Trump administration announced new coal mining lease auctions on 48,000 acres of public land directly adjacent to these national parks and monuments. The parcels include land bordering Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase-Escalante, touching the Zion Narrows access road, and sitting right next to the eastern entrance of Capitol Reef. Some of these areas were previously found unsuitable for mining or identified as eligible for future wilderness designation.

This action follows the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and a new executive order designed to reinvest in coal mining across the West. But handing over public lands to coal companies near protected natural treasures is not reinvestment—it’s irreversible harm.

These aren’t remote fields or forgotten hills. These are lands where families hike, where children learn about geology and history, where communities depend on sustainable tourism—not coal trains and blasting zones. Once scarred, these landscapes may never recover.

The economic case doesn’t hold either. Utah’s tourism industry brings in billions each year and supports tens of thousands of jobs. Sacrificing that for a few short-term leases undermines our state’s long-term future.

We call on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the Interior to immediately cancel all lease auctions near Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Grand Staircase-Escalante. These places are not coal zones. They are national treasures, and they belong to the people—not polluters.

Protect our parks. Stop the leases. Keep Utah beautiful for generations to come.