Conservation Groups Sue Trump Over Utah Monument Reductions
Patagonia and environmental groups filed lawsuits to overturn President Donald Trump's July 2026 orders reducing two Utah national monuments by over 90%.
A coalition of environmental groups and the outdoor apparel company Patagonia filed federal lawsuits on September 2, 2026, to overturn proclamations issued by President Donald Trump in July. The orders reduced the Bears Ears National Monument by approximately 91% and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by about 90%, removing protections from nearly 3 million acres of public land in southern Utah.
The plaintiffs, which include the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and the Center for Biological Diversity, argue that the Antiquities Act of 1906 grants presidents the authority to establish monuments but not to shrink or undo those created by predecessors. The litigation, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also seeks to reactivate legal challenges from 2017 that were paused when President Biden restored the boundaries in 2021.
The White House defended the action as a "rightsizing" of the monuments to allow for common sense land use and the extraction of critical minerals for national security. The administration and Utah Governor Spencer Cox contend that the original designations violated the act by exceeding the smallest parcel of land necessary for protection.
Conservationists claim the move benefits corporate interests, noting that at least nine mining claims—including seven by Kimmerle Mining—were filed immediately following the boundary changes. Protections for the reduced areas are scheduled to expire on September 11, 2026.
