Patagonia Sues Trump Administration Over Utah Monument Reductions

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on September 2, 2026, challenging executive orders that drastically reduce the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. The orders, issued on July 13, shrink Bears Ears by approximately 91 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90 percent, removing protections from nearly 3 million acres of land.

Patagonia argues that the U.S. Antiquities Act grants presidents the authority to designate national monuments but does not permit them to undo those designations. The Trump administration and Utah Governor Spencer Cox disagree, contending that the monuments violate the act by exceeding the smallest parcel of land necessary for protection. The administration further asserts that the act should not be extended to cover biodiversity and landscapes.

Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia, described the dismantling of the Bears Ears commission and the reduction of the monument as a betrayal of Tribal sovereignty. The Center for Western Priorities noted that these executive orders could open the previously protected land for logging, mining, oil, or gas leases within 60 days.