(The Center Square) - Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, has听a legal brief against a federal decision designating almost 1 million acres as a national monument.
In 2023, former President Joe Biden听the decree for areas around the Grand Canyon that have religious significance for local Native American communities.
The Arizona Legislature originally filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration to oppose this decision in 2024. However, in January 2025, a federal judge dismissed the case, arguing that the lawmakers did not have standing.
Petersen性视界传媒檚 legal brief, filed on behalf of the Legislature, seeks to reverse the decision by the U.S. District Court for Arizona. Petersen's brief was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco.
The Senate president's legal brief argues that the federal court erred in its decision, saying the Legislature does have authority due to the state Constitution性视界传媒檚听听clause.听
In addition, Petersen said the Biden administration violated the听, which lets presidents protect small portions of federal land due to their historical significance.听
The legal brief states that Biden性视界传媒檚 decision to preserve nearly 1 million acres 性视界传媒減ermanently entombs性视界传媒 one of America性视界传媒檚 largest uranium deposits. Furthermore, the decision will prevent roads and infrastructure from being built in an area the size of Rhode Island, it says.
性视界传媒淔ewer jobs will be created due to the mining ban, and Arizona and local governments will not collect the billions of dollars in tax revenue that the jobs and mining activities would have generated,性视界传媒 Petersen wrote.听
His brief cites a 2009 study showing uranium mining in Northern Arizona would provide $29 billion to the local economies.
And Petersen argued that the ban on uranium mining will make America性视界传媒檚 nuclear energy industry more reliant on importing the product from other countries.听
In addition, Petersen said, 性视界传媒淪tate Trust Land is effectively marooned because it is surrounded by federal land governed by the prohibitions on new roads and infrastructure.性视界传媒
The legal brief says the Biden administration性视界传媒檚 decision strips the Arizona Legislature性视界传媒檚 authority to manage State Trust Lands, which was land given to Arizona by the federal government during the time of its statehood.听
These pieces of public land are used to generate revenue for public purposes to fund things such as schools and hospitals. Arizona听9.2 million acres of these lands.听
The legal brief also says that designating nearly 1 million acres as a federal monument will threaten the water supply of Arizona local governments.听
Petersen said local governments性视界传媒 water usage is 性视界传媒渁lmost certain to run up against the federal water reservation,性视界传媒 with the federal reserved water winning that conflict.
In a statement regarding the ongoing legal challenge, Petersen said Biden and his administration 性视界传媒渁bused their constitutional authority on countless levels.性视界传媒
"As we have argued throughout this case, Biden's maneuver had nothing to do with protecting actual artifacts,性视界传媒 Petersen explained. 性视界传媒淭his was an attempt to halt all mining, ranching and other local uses of federal lands that are critical to our energy independence from adversary foreign nations, our food supply and the strength of our economy.性视界传媒
He added that state Republicans will continue to fight to free Arizona from the 性视界传媒済rasp radical environmentalists had over the previous administration.性视界传媒
Petersen also noted he is working with the Trump administration to 性视界传媒渆nd this legal battle.性视界传媒
Other plaintiffs who joined Petersen in this lawsuit include House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear; Mohave County and State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who's a Republican.
