Trump dramatically shrinks two Utah national monuments, opening land to drilling and mining

President Trump on Monday significantly reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah, cutting the amount of protected land by approximately 1.5 million acres each.

Trump slashed protections for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante during his first term to free up two million acres for oil drilling and uranium mining. That move prompted lawsuits from environmental groups and Native American tribes, and former President Joe Biden later reversed the measure. Now, with this latest executive order, those same groups are preparing to challenge the Trump administration in court once again.

Legal Context

National lands and monuments—often similar in appearance to national parks—are governed by different regulations under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Opponents of Trump's executive order argue that the law allows a president only to create national lands and monuments, not to shrink or eliminate them. Supporters of opening the land to oil drilling point to a 2021 opinion by Supreme Chief Justice John Roberts, who argued that "any land reserved under the act must be limited to the smallest area compatible."

Reactions

Scott Braden, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said in a statement:

"Today's action makes it clear that Utah is the epicenter of Republican efforts to dismantle and obliterate America's system of public lands. President Trump's outrageous attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monument was taken at the urging of Utah politicians—Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, Governor Spencer Cox, and the others—who championed this action. These two landscapes deserve to be protected for current and future generations of Utahns and Americans, not opened to exploitation."

Braden vowed to challenge the executive order in court.

Anthony Sanchez Jr., Pueblo of Zuni councilman and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, told The New York Times on Monday:

"You have an administration that backs you up, and then you're back to square one again. Even now, with the boundaries not reduced, we still run into that trouble."

Cultural Significance

Bears Ears is the ancestral homeland of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni. The area contains rock art that is culturally significant.

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Democrats Push Back as Trump Resumes Iran War

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Democrats in Congress are criticizing President Trump for restarting the war in Iran.

Trump formally notified lawmakers last week that the war in Iran has resumed, attempting to legally claim that a new 60-day period has started, giving him the power to use military action in Iran without congressional approval. Democrats accused the Trump administration of reneging on promises that the war was over.

Senator Adam Schiff said on X Monday:

"We were promised the war would be over for months. And now in a matter of days, we've gone from a bad U.S.-Iran deal to more strikes, another blockade, and added turmoil that will only drive prices higher."

The California senator filed a new war powers resolution on Monday, co-sponsored by colleagues Tim Kaine, Andy Kim, Jeff Merkley, and Chris Van Hollen, in an attempt to rein in the president.

"Any assertion by the Trump Administration that he gets 60 more days to act without Congress has no foundation in law," Schiff said in a statement, calling for a "new vote to end this war."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday:

"Trump's rinse and repeat approach to the Iran war isn't a strategy, it's a recipe for utter disaster. We keep moving backward. Gas prices stay high, casualties increase, costs increase. It's incredible what a fiasco this war is."

Senator Chris Murphy pointed out that the war's resumption hurts the economy, saying, "Gas prices are spiking again."

"The bottom line? Trump has no moves to make. His spiraling incompetence has boxed America..."