Trump slashes protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments

President Trump took action today to massively shrink two national monuments in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, by 85 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The unprecedented move comes after the president ordered U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to “review” 27 national monuments established in the last 10 years. In response, Zinke recommended modifying at least 10, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Since Theodore Roosevelt enacted the Antiquities Act of 1906, many presidents have used it to create monuments, not destroy them. Trump’s action is wrong and it’s illegal. Environmental groups, including NRDC, as well as tribes, plan to sue.