Overview
- The White House issued proclamations on July 13, 2026 that shrink Bears Ears to about 121,100 acres and Grand Staircase‑Escalante to about 181,500 acres, removing roughly 2.9 million acres of monument protections.
- The administration says the changes will allow mineral and geothermal leasing and mining claims on the lands removed from the monuments, though any development will still require federal permits and approval under other laws.
- Tribal leaders and intertribal management structures tied to Bears Ears were not consulted and say the cuts dissolve formal co‑stewardship arrangements that protected sacred and cultural sites.
- Hundreds of Utah residents demonstrated across the state and conservation groups including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity are preparing litigation to challenge the proclamations in federal court.
- Legal experts note the Antiquities Act does not explicitly authorize a president to revoke or substantially shrink a predecessor’s monument, making courts the likely venue to define presidential authority and set a national precedent.