Environment & Climate
Patagonia and environmental group sue over reduction of Utah national monuments
A federal lawsuit challenges Donald Trump's decision to cut Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90 percent.
The short version
- Patagonia joined a federal lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council challenging Donald Trump's reduction of two Utah national monuments.
- The July presidential proclamation reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%, lifting protections from nearly 3 million acres.
- The administration argued the move supports resource independence and national security, while plaintiffs claim the president lacks legal authority under the Antiquities Act to downsize existing monuments.
- Federal courts will now consider whether presidential power under the Antiquities Act allows reductions to established national monuments.
Key facts
- The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday, joined by outdoor retailer Patagonia, challenging presidential orders cutting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.[The Guardian]
- The July order reduced the boundaries of both Utah monuments by 90%, removing protections across nearly 3 million acres of public land.[The Guardian]
- Trump stated the boundary cuts would direct lands toward higher-priority uses and secure critical minerals vital for national security and resource independence.[The Guardian]
- Plaintiffs argue the Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to designate national monuments but does not grant the executive power to revoke or reduce them.[The Guardian]
- Patagonia previously sued over Utah monument reductions in 2017 during Trump's first term, actions that were subsequently reversed under Joe Biden.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The legal outcome remains uncertain as federal courts have not issued a final ruling on whether the Antiquities Act permits presidential downsizing of national monuments.[The Guardian]