President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Monday to sharply reduce the size of two national monuments in southern Utah: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The reductions will see each monument lose close to a million and a half acres, slashing their overall size by more than 90%.
This move is intended to open US public land to corporate developers and the oil and gas industry. The reduced protections will allow for logging, grazing, motorized recreation, and other resource development in the region.
By shrinking these areas, the president is undoing protections and challenging proclamations established by former presidents. The move unravels safeguards for regions with unique archaeological and historical features that are held sacred by many Native Americans.
Native American tribes and environmental groups are expected to challenge the decision to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.