Blab Politics
Trump Reduces Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments by Over 3 Million Acres
On July 13 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed two proclamations that trimmed the combined expanse of Grand Staircase‑Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments in southern Utah by more than 3 million acres. The new boundaries leave Grand Staircase‑Escalante at 181,541 acres and Bears Ears at 121,096 acres, a reduction of roughly 90 percent from their original sizes.
The decision is the latest in a long series of adjustments to the two protected areas. Grand Staircase‑Escalante was created in 1996 by President Bill Clinton and originally covered 1.9 million acres. In December 2017 President Trump cut the monument by about 47 percent, removing roughly 900,000 acres. Bears Ears, established by President Barack Obama in December 2016, was reduced by 85 percent in the same 2017 order, leaving only 201,876 acres.
President Biden restored both monuments on October 8 2021, returning Grand Staircase‑Escalante to its full 1.9 million acres and Bears Ears to its original 1.35 million acres, plus an additional 12,000 acres. The restoration was followed by the Bureau of Land Management’s development of new management plans, finalized in January 2025.
The 2026 reductions were announced as a response to pressure from Utah lawmakers. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) issued a statement that the actions were “reckless and unlawful” and were taken at the urging of Utah politicians, naming Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, Governor Spencer Cox, and others. SUWA’s executive director, Scott Braden, said the organization would challenge the orders in federal court.
Legal challenges have been a constant feature of the monuments’ history. In December 2017 SUWA and a coalition of conservation groups sued President Trump over the 2017 reductions. The five tribal nations that formed the Bears Ears Commission also filed suit. In August 2023 a federal district court in Utah dismissed lawsuits that challenged President Biden’s restoration of the monuments. The state of Utah and other plaintiffs appealed, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on June 23 2026. SUWA and nine other conservation organizations intervened on behalf of the United States to defend the restoration.
The monuments are managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Conservation Lands system. Grand Staircase‑Escalante protects the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante, while Bears Ears protects the eponymous buttes and surrounding cultural sites. Both areas contain significant scientific, ecological, and archaeological resources, and their protection has been supported by local communities and tribal nations.
The July 13 2026 proclamations have been described by SUWA as a “reckless and unlawful” attack on public lands. The organization says it will pursue legal action to restore the monuments to their pre‑2026 boundaries. The current status is that the new boundaries are in effect, but federal court proceedings are expected to continue.
The reductions come at a time when the federal government is also pursuing new public‑land policies. The Bureau of Land Management’s 2025 budget includes plans to support nature‑based solutions, while the Trump administration has promoted increased energy development on federal lands.
In summary, President Trump’s July 2026 orders have reduced the combined area of Grand Staircase‑Escalante and Bears Ears by more than 3 million acres, reversing the 2021 restoration. The changes have prompted legal challenges and criticism from conservation groups and Utah lawmakers. SUWA and other organizations have announced plans to seek judicial review, and the outcome of those proceedings remains uncertain.
The decision is the latest in a long series of adjustments to the two protected areas. Grand Staircase‑Escalante was created in 1996 by President Bill Clinton and originally covered 1.9 million acres. In December 2017 President Trump cut the monument by about 47 percent, removing roughly 900,000 acres. Bears Ears, established by President Barack Obama in December 2016, was reduced by 85 percent in the same 2017 order, leaving only 201,876 acres.
President Biden restored both monuments on October 8 2021, returning Grand Staircase‑Escalante to its full 1.9 million acres and Bears Ears to its original 1.35 million acres, plus an additional 12,000 acres. The restoration was followed by the Bureau of Land Management’s development of new management plans, finalized in January 2025.
The 2026 reductions were announced as a response to pressure from Utah lawmakers. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) issued a statement that the actions were “reckless and unlawful” and were taken at the urging of Utah politicians, naming Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, Governor Spencer Cox, and others. SUWA’s executive director, Scott Braden, said the organization would challenge the orders in federal court.
Legal challenges have been a constant feature of the monuments’ history. In December 2017 SUWA and a coalition of conservation groups sued President Trump over the 2017 reductions. The five tribal nations that formed the Bears Ears Commission also filed suit. In August 2023 a federal district court in Utah dismissed lawsuits that challenged President Biden’s restoration of the monuments. The state of Utah and other plaintiffs appealed, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on June 23 2026. SUWA and nine other conservation organizations intervened on behalf of the United States to defend the restoration.
The monuments are managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Conservation Lands system. Grand Staircase‑Escalante protects the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante, while Bears Ears protects the eponymous buttes and surrounding cultural sites. Both areas contain significant scientific, ecological, and archaeological resources, and their protection has been supported by local communities and tribal nations.
The July 13 2026 proclamations have been described by SUWA as a “reckless and unlawful” attack on public lands. The organization says it will pursue legal action to restore the monuments to their pre‑2026 boundaries. The current status is that the new boundaries are in effect, but federal court proceedings are expected to continue.
The reductions come at a time when the federal government is also pursuing new public‑land policies. The Bureau of Land Management’s 2025 budget includes plans to support nature‑based solutions, while the Trump administration has promoted increased energy development on federal lands.
In summary, President Trump’s July 2026 orders have reduced the combined area of Grand Staircase‑Escalante and Bears Ears by more than 3 million acres, reversing the 2021 restoration. The changes have prompted legal challenges and criticism from conservation groups and Utah lawmakers. SUWA and other organizations have announced plans to seek judicial review, and the outcome of those proceedings remains uncertain.
