Overview
- President Donald Trump signed proclamations that sharply shrink the two Utah monuments, which he announced Monday, removing roughly 3 million acres and leaving Bears Ears at about 121,096 acres and Grand Staircase‑Escalante at about 181,541 acres.
- The White House framed the changes as a return of control to Utah and argued the original boundaries exceeded the Antiquities Act’s limit on the smallest area needed to protect objects of interest, and the signing was attended by Utah’s GOP delegation and Gov. Spencer Cox.
- Tribal coalitions and conservation groups condemned the action and said they will sue to restore protections, and courts now face renewed litigation over whether a president can substantially shrink a predecessor’s monument under the Antiquities Act.
- Some lands removed from monument boundaries retain other federal designations such as Wilderness Study Areas and Areas of Environmental Concern, but the Interior Department is reviewing those protections and the proclamations could take formal effect in roughly 60 days.
- If upheld, the cuts would clear the way for expanded mineral and energy activity on former monument lands and deepen a long-standing national split over federal land management, tribal co‑stewardship, and how durable monument protections can be across the West.