Mining claims were filed on September 11 on federal land in southeast Utah that had previously been protected as part of Bears Ears National Monument, following President Trump’s decision to reduce the monument’s boundaries by roughly 90 percent. The 16 initial claims, totaling 1.2 million acres, were filed by small-scale local mining operations with interests in uranium and other minerals. Environmental organizations expressed concern about the rapid filing pace and anticipated additional claims would follow.
Three of the claims were filed by George Schultz, an off-roading guide from Moab, while 13 claims came from Kimmerle Mining, a family-owned business also based in Moab. Kyle Kimmerle, a managing member of the mining company, has connections to uranium exploration through his LinkedIn profile and his appointment to the board of Urano Energy in 2024. Schultz and Kimmerle both declined to provide details about their specific mineral extraction plans. Environmental advocates raised concerns that small-scale mining operations could cause pollution and environmental damage to monument resources.
Bears Ears has experienced significant political changes regarding its protected status. President Barack Obama established the monument in 2016 with 1.35 million acres of protected land. During his first term, Trump reduced the monument by approximately 85 percent, a decision President Joe Biden later reversed and expanded upon. Trump’s latest action again shrunk the monument’s size. The Trump administration’s proclamation highlighted minerals listed as potentially present in the area, including uranium, vanadium, copper, and others, framing them as essential to the nation’s economic and energy needs.
The timing of the claims coincided with broader energy policy discussions. The Trump administration and Utah’s Office of Energy Development have promoted nuclear energy as a solution for powering artificial intelligence infrastructure and meeting projected electricity demands, with uranium serving as the primary nuclear fuel. Kimmerle Mining had previously operated the Easy Peasy mine on the land, extracting 30 tons of uranium ore in 2018, though profitability remained limited at that time. Environmental attorneys questioned whether sufficient uranium reserves existed to justify the economic and environmental costs of renewed mining operations in the region.
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