What to know about Trump’s push to shrink Utah national monuments
- President Donald Trump announced Monday his intention to scale back the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, revisiting actions from his first term that were later reversed.
- This move directly challenges proclamations by his predecessors, who deemed these sites worthy of preservation under the 1906 Antiquities Act, a law granting presidents power to protect areas of cultural, historic, or scientific interest.
- The back-and-forth over these protected areas underscores how national monuments have become a significant flashpoint in the management of public lands.
Confirmed
- President Donald Trump announced Monday his intention to scale back the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, revisiting actions from his first term that were later reversed.
- This move directly challenges proclamations by his predecessors, who deemed these sites worthy of preservation under the 1906 Antiquities Act, a law granting presidents power to protect areas of cultural, historic, or scientific interest.
- The back-and-forth over these protected areas underscores how national monuments have become a significant flashpoint in the management of public lands.
Sources: Pbs, The Independent