President Trump signed an executive order on July 13 that slashes the size of two Utah national monuments, reducing the combined area by almost 3 million acres.
Monument boundaries cut dramatically
The order trims Bears Ears National Monument to roughly 121,000 acres, down from the 1.36 million acres designated in 2016. Grand Staircase‑Escalante National Monument is reduced to about 182,000 acres, a fraction of its original 1.9 million‑acre footprint.
Political reactions split along party lines
Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee praised the move, saying the president “corrected this abuse” of monument designations that, in his view, have locked up land, closed roads, and restricted grazing for rural communities. In contrast, Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico condemned the order as a favor to “billionaires and powerful industries” at the expense of public lands.
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Native American leaders also voiced strong opposition. Autumn Gillard, a member of the Southern Paiute tribe and coordinator of the Grand Staircase‑Escalante Inter‑Tribal Coalition, called the decision “unacceptable” and demanded that the federal government honor its trust and treaty obligations. The Wilderness Society president Tracy Stone‑Manning described the order as placing the nation “on the wrong side of history.”
Legal basis and controversy
Trump’s order cites perceived flaws in the Antiquities Act, arguing that the monuments exceed the “smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”
The Antiquities Act of 1906, which allows presidents to designate national monuments, has been the subject of ongoing debate. Critics argue that the law was intended to protect distinct natural or historic features, not to serve as a tool for large‑scale land management.
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While the administration frames the reduction as a correction of overreach, the move revives a pattern of back‑and‑forth adjustments that began when President Obama created the monuments, saw them trimmed by Trump in 2017, and then restored by President Biden in 2021.
Legal challenges are expected. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance’s legal director, Steve Bloch, expressed disappointment, noting that the order appears driven by “anti‑public land zealots” and could face scrutiny under the Antiquities Act’s requirements.
