President Trump issued executive orders on Monday that substantially reduced the size of two major national monuments in southern Utah. Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument together covered more than 3 million acres of public land before the action; the orders reduced their combined area to 302,600 acres. The reductions are more severe than those Trump implemented during his first administration, when Bears Ears was cut by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante by roughly half. The executive orders will take effect after a 60-day period.
Trump announced the decisions while surrounded by Utah Republican officials, stating that previous restrictions made the monuments inaccessible for hunting, fishing, and walking. This characterization contradicted the facts, as both monuments remain open to visitors for these activities. According to the proclamations, the administration believes the reduced monument boundaries better serve its policy objectives regarding public lands, which include opening them for resource extraction including mining, drilling, and grazing.
Tribal representatives and environmental advocates criticized the orders. The administration terminated an inter-tribal working group at Bears Ears that had pioneered co-stewardship between federal authorities and local tribes, the first arrangement of its kind. Tribal officials reported they were not consulted about the monument reductions. A member of the Navajo Nation characterized the actions as reflective of historical injustices against indigenous peoples and expressed concern about uranium mining resuming in sacred areas with cultural and spiritual significance.
Legal questions surround the administration’s authority to reduce national monuments. The Antiquities Act of 1906 grants presidents power to establish monuments, but scholars note the law does not explicitly authorize presidents to rescind monument designations—that power rests with Congress. A recent appellate court decision had kept alive a lawsuit from Utah challenging the previous restoration of the monuments under the Biden administration, potentially affecting the legal path forward.
Environmental groups and tribal coalitions pledged continued legal action to defend the monuments. Democratic members of Congress condemned the orders as prioritizing extraction over conservation and public interest, expressing concern that other protected lands could face similar reductions.
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