President Donald Trump (R-FL) signed executive orders on July 13, 2026, reducing the size of two Utah national monuments by more than 90% [1].

The move alters federal land management in the U.S. West. By stripping protections from these areas, the administration is prioritizing industrial and recreational use over conservation and environmental preservation.

The orders target the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments [2]. According to official reports, the reductions remove approximately 3 million acres from protected status [3]. This shift opens the land to a variety of commercial and leisure activities, including logging, grazing, and motorized recreation [1].

Administration officials said the changes are intended to align federal land management with Republican policy priorities [2]. The strategy emphasizes resource development and local access over the strict preservation mandates that previously governed these landscapes [1].

The scale of the reduction is substantial, affecting more than 90% of the original monument boundaries [1]. The land in question includes vast tracts of the Utah wilderness, which have been managed to protect cultural sites and ecological diversity [2].

By removing these protections, the executive orders facilitate the entry of industry into regions that were previously off-limits to resource extraction [3]. The administration said this approach provides more flexibility for the state of Utah and its residents to utilize the land for economic growth [2].

“President Donald Trump signed executive orders reducing the size of two Utah national monuments by more than 90%.”

This action represents a significant shift in the legal status of federal lands, moving away from the conservation-heavy approach of previous administrations. By drastically reducing the footprint of these monuments, the executive branch is exercising its authority to redefine land use, potentially sparking legal challenges from environmental groups while fulfilling campaign promises to prioritize energy and resource extraction.