Trump Shrinks Two Utah National Monuments by 90 Percent

Donald Trump signed proclamations on July 14, 2026, reducing the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in southern Utah by approximately 90 percent each. The action removes nearly 3 million acres of protected public land, shrinking Bears Ears to roughly 121,000 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante to approximately 182,000 acres. The administration intends to open these lands for mining, logging, oil, and gas leases within 60 days to support national security and resource independence.

Trump framed the move as a necessary correction to restore fairness to Utahns and right-size the monuments to protect only the smallest areas necessary. During the signing, the president and Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor claimed that hunting and fishing were prohibited in the monuments, a claim contested by reports that state and monument rules permit such activities.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Senator Mike Lee praised the action as a return to the standards of the Antiquities Act. Conversely, tribal leaders and conservation groups condemned the decision. Davina Smith-Idjesa of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition described the reduction as heartbreaking, while Senator Martin Heinrich called it another chapter in a war on the West. The orders also disband the tribal-led Bears Ears Commission, replacing it with an advisory committee that reduces Indigenous input. Environmental groups, including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, have vowed to challenge the orders in federal court.