Trump reduces the sizes of two Utah National Monuments

President Donald Trump signed two presidential proclamations Monday that reduced the size of two National Monuments in Utah.

The proclamations come after Trump reduced the two monuments during his first term in order to open the land to oil drilling, uranium mining and other development. But tribes and environmentalists sued over the move and former President Joe Biden restored the sizes.

The new proclamations reduce the size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from approximately 1.87 million acres to roughly 181,500 acres, and the Bears Ears National Monument from approximately 1.36 million acres to roughly 121,100 acres.

“They took the land from the people quite honestly,” Trump said at a signing event at the White House. “We’re giving it back ... We’re actually giving more than we did the first time back to the people of Utah."

The White House said the specific landmarks, structures and objects of historic and scientific interest that the Antiquities Act safeguards will continue to be protected, while the surrounding federal lands will be available for multiple public use.

Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, praised Trump for giving the majority of the land back to the state. 

“This is a big day for Utah,” Cox said at the White House. “These monument designations are supposed to be the smallest area as possible to protect the antiquities and these multi-million-acre monuments that are bigger than the state of Delaware certainly do not fit that designation."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.