WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), following in the tradition of her predecessor Senator Mike Enzi, reintroduced a bill to protect the name of the Devils Tower National Monument, which has been known as Devils Tower since the 1800s. Sen. John Barrasso is cosponsoring the bill.
Of the bill Sen. Lummis said:“Devils Tower is one of the most iconic sights in Wyoming, and as the first national monument, its name holds a great deal of value to generations of Wyoming residents,” said Senator Lummis. “Devils Tower is well known across the country and around the world, and we should maintain its legacy and its name. We do not need Washington and coastal elites coming into our state and trying to change it.”
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower as the first national monument in the United States. The monument welcomes more than half a million visitors each year and is an important part of the state and regional economy.
Since 2005, petitioners have asked the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to rename Devils Tower. The bureaucratic board has been unable to do so, however, thanks to the Devils Tower protection bill. Since the bill is under consideration by Congress, the board cannot make its own decision on the issue. As a result, whether the bill becomes law or not, the name cannot be changed.Sen. Enzi first introduced the bill along with Sen. Barrasso in 2015, with then-Rep. Lummis introducing companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
To read the bill, click here.
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