Trump Again Shrinks Utah Bears Ears And Grand Staircase Monuments
On Monday, July 13, 2026, former President Donald Trump ordered sharp reductions to Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, reigniting legal and tribal fights over protected lands.[1]
The proclamations cut the two monuments from more than 3.2 million acres combined to under 303,000 acres combined, a larger reduction than Trump's first-term changes.[1] Utah Gov. Spencer Cox backed the move, while leaders of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition said it undermines sacred sites and tribal co-stewardship.[1] The action also reopens legal questions over whether the Antiquities Act permits presidents to substantially shrink existing national monuments.[1]
In December 2017, President Trump issued proclamations that reduced Bears Ears by about 83 percent and cut Grand Staircase-Escalante by roughly half.[1] In October 2021, President Biden signed proclamations restoring both monuments to their prior boundaries.[1] The 2017 reductions prompted lawsuits challenging presidential authority under the Antiquities Act, and those cases were still pending when Biden acted.[1]
No court has ever decided whether a president may legally shrink an existing national monument, and the 1906 Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to create monuments but does not explicitly allow reductions.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant extent of the reductions, which saw Bears Ears shrink by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%, exposing over 100,000 archaeological sites to potential mining activities. This stark figure highlights the drastic nature of Trump's recent actions, which critics argue undermine both tribal co-management efforts and the integrity of sacred lands. Furthermore, while the summary notes the ongoing legal questions surrounding the Antiquities Act, it overlooks the historical context that 18 of the 21 presidents since the Act's inception have modified monument boundaries, suggesting a pattern of executive adjustments driven by political shifts rather than clear legal precedents. This context is crucial for understanding the cyclical nature of public lands policy and the tensions between conservation and resource extraction interests that have persisted for decades.
Additionally, social media discussions emphasize the broader implications of the reductions, with commentators pointing out that nearly 3 million acres are stripped of federal protections, reigniting long-standing debates over public lands management. Critics argue that this move primarily benefits resource extraction industries, which have long sought access to these lands, thereby framing the issue not just as a legal or political debate but as a significant environmental and cultural concern. The mainstream account fails to capture this multifaceted conflict that intertwines legal, ecological, and socio-political dimensions.
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📊 Relevant Data
No court has ever ruled on whether a president has authority under the Antiquities Act to reduce the size of an existing national monument.
Presidents Lack the Authority to Abolish or Diminish National Monuments — Virginia Law Review
The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorizes presidents to proclaim national monuments on federal lands containing objects of historic or scientific interest but contains no explicit provision allowing reductions in size.
National Monuments and the Antiquities Act — Congressional Research Service
📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, July 13, 2026, Trump ordered new reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.
- The two monuments were previously over 3.2 million acres combined and were reduced to under 303,000 acres combined, a larger cut than Trump’s first-term reductions.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox backed the move, while tribal leaders in the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition warned it undermines sacred sites and tribal co-stewardship.
- The action reopens legal questions over whether the Antiquities Act permits presidents to significantly shrink national monuments.
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