Trump again shrinks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments

President Donald Trump reduced the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to 302,600 acres, cutting them to less than a quarter of their size after previous reductions in 2017. The executive orders aim to open public lands to extraction, disbanding an inter-tribal working group and facing criticism from tribal officials and experts who argue the move prioritizes mining and drilling over preservation and co-stewardship.