Trump dramatically cuts size of two national monuments held sacred by tribes
Summary
President Donald Trump has approved a large reduction in the size of two national monuments in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. These areas are sacred to Native American tribes and contain important cultural and natural sites. The decision opens parts of the land to mining and other development and reverses protections put in place by previous presidents.Key Facts
- Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments are located in southern Utah.
- President Trump cut nearly 1.5 million acres from each monument.
- These monuments contain ancient Native American sites, including cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.
- The land includes coal and uranium deposits that Utah officials want to develop.
- The Antiquities Act lets presidents protect significant cultural or natural sites.
- Grand Staircase-Escalante was created in 1996 by President Clinton; Bears Ears was created in 2016 by President Obama.
- Environmental groups and Native American tribes criticized the reduction and plan to challenge it in court.
- Utah's governor supports the cuts, saying the protected areas were too large and should be controlled more by the state.
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