President Donald Trump has significantly reduced the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, removing protections from nearly 3 million acres. The decision reduces the size of the sites by 90 percent, stripping safeguards from sacred tribal sites.
The president argued in his proclamations that the reduction would allow the lands to be put to a higher-priority use. He stated that the areas contain critical minerals important to national security and resource independence, clearing the way to open the land to oil and gas companies.
Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, has joined a coalition of environmental and Native American groups in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision. The company is suing to block the sharp reduction in size of both the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.
Patagonia was previously among the groups that sued the first Trump administration to block a similar move.