GAO Clears Congressional Bid to Overturn Grand Staircase-Escalante Plan

Overview

• The Government Accountability Office concluded the monument’s January 2025 management plan is a reviewable rule under the Congressional Review Act.
• Because the Bureau of Land Management did not transmit the plan to Capitol Hill, Congress can move a simple-majority resolution to nullify it.
• Environmental groups and the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter‑Tribal Coalition expect Utah’s delegation to introduce a resolution of disapproval, though no filing has been announced.
• If a disapproval resolution passes, any replacement plan must be substantially different under the CRA’s constraints.
• Rep. Celeste Maloy requested the GAO opinion, tribes warn revocation would heighten risks to sacred and cultural sites, and advocates say using the CRA against a monument plan would be unprecedented.