Story perspectives

Trump cuts Grand Staircase, Bears Ears monuments 90%

7/15/2026

Summary

Trump Cuts Monuments

President Donald Trump signed executive orders on July 13, 2026 that cut Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears monuments by 90 %.
The orders shrank Grand Staircase-Escalante from 1.9 million to 181,500 acres and Bears Ears from 1.36 million to 121,100 acres.
Center for Western Priorities, Center for Biological Diversity and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance announced lawsuits while Utah officials praised the orders.
The Bureau of Land Management must draft resource-management plans for the released lands by September 11, 2026.

Summary

Biden Shrinks Monument

The administration announced a proclamation to shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, citing minerals such as chromium, cobalt and copper.
Since 1912, presidents—including President Woodrow Wilson, President Harry Truman and President Dwight Eisenhower—have reduced monument sizes, while a 2024 poll shows nearly two-thirds of Utah voters oppose further cuts.
Bears Ears, co-stewarded by five tribes under a 2025 agreement, is said by Native American Rights Fund to preserve practices and foods.

History

Historical Context

In September 1996 President Bill Clinton used the Antiquities Act to create Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, protecting roughly 1.7 million acres in southern Utah. Trump’s 2017 proclamation cut the monument by about 47%, Biden restored it in 2021, and on July 13 2026 Trump again reduced it to 181,500 acres, reviving long-standing legal battles over presidential authority.

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Trump Cuts Monuments

President Donald Trump signed executive orders on July 13, 2026 that cut Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears monuments by 90 %.
The orders shrank Grand Staircase-Escalante from 1.9 million to 181,500 acres and Bears Ears from 1.36 million to 121,100 acres.
Center for Western Priorities, Center for Biological Diversity and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance announced lawsuits while Utah officials praised the orders.
The Bureau of Land Management must draft resource-management plans for the released lands by September 11, 2026.

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