Ensures all law enforcement have unfettered access to protect our communities

Washington, DC (July 22, 2014) Today, Rep. Steve Pearce introduced the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Corrections Act. This legislation is in response to President Obama's rushed decision to unilaterally declare the monument while ignoring input from local officials on public safety, and other major issues such as environmental and economic impacts. The bill guarantees all federal, state and local law enforcement personnel, including Border Patrol, will have unfettered access to the national monument. Congressman Pearce and US House Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop issued the following statement after the bill's introduction.

"This effort is a simple, targeted solution to secure our southern border and protect local communities, something that was overlooked by the President in his unilateral monument declaration," said Pearce. "Restrictive land management policies can have a negative impact on border security. In Arizona's Chiricahua National Monument, a Park Service employee was brutally assaulted and left for dead last year. The Organ Pipe National Monument in Arizona has long been threatened by drug and human smugglers, as the Park Service readily admits. My goal is to prevent the same scenario from unfolding in Dona Ana County."

Rep. Rob Bishop, of Utah, said: "When the concept of a national monument was presented as legislation, even the two Democrat Senators Udall and Heinrich recognized the need to ensure that the U.S. Border Patrol would still have access to these areas despite new restrictions on types of access and use. President Obama disregarded this when he decided to make the new national monument by executive order, and as a result, he has made our border less safe. Drug smugglers are already trespassing into the United States by way of our federal lands and the President just did them a huge favor by creating new areas that limit the Border Patrol's ability to maintain a routine presence. This legislation to fix this is imperative."

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.