President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is scaling back the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, a move that reverses protections previously restored by President Joe Biden. The action, taken under the 1906 Antiquities Act, reduces the combined size of the two monuments from more than 3.2 million acres to less than 303,000 acres—a reduction of approximately 90% for each site.
The Debate Over Public Land Management
The monuments contain significant natural features, archaeological sites, and mineral deposits. Grand Staircase-Escalante holds large coal reserves, while the Bears Ears area contains uranium. Proponents of the reduction, including Utah state officials, have long argued that the federal monument designations were overly broad and hindered the development of essential minerals. “The question has never been whether to protect them, but how to protect them best,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. During the signing event at the White House, Trump characterized the move as returning land to the public, stating, “They took the land from the people, quite honestly. We’re giving it back.” Conversely, conservationists and tribal leaders have criticized the decision. They warn that the move opens the region to potential mining and ignores the significance of the landscape to local tribal nations. Davina Smith-Idjesa, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, stated that the action was “heartbreaking” and criticized the lack of tribal consultation. “Our connection to this place cannot be erased by the stroke of a pen,” she said.
Historical Context and the Antiquities Act
The Antiquities Act grants presidents the authority to protect areas of cultural, historic, or scientific interest. While environmental groups often argue that the act is intended only for the creation—not the removal—of monuments, there is a historical precedent for presidents adjusting these boundaries. According to National Park Service data, presidents have issued more than a dozen proclamations diminishing monuments since 1912. Notable historical examples include:
- Woodrow Wilson reducing the size of Mount Olympus National Park (now Olympic National Park).
- Harry Truman reducing the Santa Rosa Island National Monument.
- Dwight Eisenhower diminishing six monuments, including Arches in Utah, Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, and Glacier Bay in Alaska.
Stakes for Tribal Nations and Conservation
Bears Ears holds particular significance as the first national monument protected at the request of tribal nations. It is currently managed through a joint agreement between federal agencies and tribal nations, including the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute, and Uintah-Ouray Ute. The area contains ancestral villages, burial sites, and features central to the migration and creation stories of these tribes. While state officials have assured the public that lands excluded from the new boundaries remain protected under existing state and federal law, the designation of a national monument provides specific prohibitions against drilling, mining, and new construction that broader land-management categories may not guarantee.
A Shift in Federal Policy
This latest decision is part of a broader push by the current administration to reshape the management of taxpayer-owned lands. Under the guidance of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, federal officials have sought to expand energy production, including drilling and mining, on public lands. This approach marks a departure from the previous administration’s goals, which included a target to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
