{"id":17232,"date":"2026-07-14T12:06:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=17232"},"modified":"2026-07-14T12:06:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:06:42","slug":"trump-signs-order-shrinking-bears-ears-grand-staircase-monuments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=17232","title":{"rendered":"Trump signs order shrinking Bears Ears, Grand Staircase monuments"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Bipartisan push to invest in US national parks<\/h4>\n

Bret Baier moderates a discussion with Representatives Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) about the ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative. This bipartisan effort seeks to modernize national parks ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, investing $1.9 billion annually. They emphasize national parks as common ground, beloved by all Americans, and crucial for our shared heritage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

President Donald Trump signed an executive order drastically shrinking the size of two national monument areas in Utah on Monday.<\/p>\n

The order applies to the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, shrinking their total coverage by roughly 90% from 3 million acres to 300,000. The areas were established as federal monuments by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and Barack Obama in 2016, respectively.<\/p>\n

“They took the land from the people quite honestly,” Trump said during the Monday signing ceremony. “We\u2019re giving it back.”<\/p>\n

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox also attended the signing and praised the move, saying the original size of the monuments was far too expansive.<\/p>\n

DOUG BURGUM SAYS VANDALISM OF REFLECTING POOL STARTED AS EARLY AS JUNE 9 AFTER TRUMP ANNOUNCED RENEWAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

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President Donald Trump after signing an executive order to drastically shrink two national monuments in Utah, paving the way for fossil fuel extraction and mining.<\/span> (Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“We believe that under the Antiquities Act, it\u2019s very clear that these monument designations are supposed to be the smallest area possible to protect the antiquities, and these multimillion-acre monuments that are bigger than the state of Delaware certainly do not fit that designation,” he said.<\/p>\n

Local Native American groups have criticized the move, however, as both monument areas contain parts of their history, including cliffside villages and petroglyphs.<\/p>\n

NEWSOM-BACKED COMMISSION TRANSFERS POPULAR COASTLINE TO INDIGENOUS TRIBES<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Red rock formations in the “Valley of the Gods” on April 22, 2026, in Bears Ears National Monument, Utah. Bears Ears has been a controversial monument since it’s creation in December 2016.<\/span> (George Frey\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“From a Navajo perspective, Bears Ears is not simply a piece of federal public land,” said Davina Smith-Idjesa, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. “This is a living cultural site that holds our histories, our ceremonies, our traditional foods and medicines and our ancestors\u2019 footprints.”<\/p>\n

Protections for national monuments apply to the surrounding landscape as well, preventing drilling, mining and construction. The original designations for the two monuments contained large deposits of coal and uranium.<\/p>\n

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox welcomes President Joe Biden to the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Aug. 10, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah.<\/span> (George Frey\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have pushed for using more federal land to expand U.S. energy production, clearing the way for mining and oil drilling in Alaska as well.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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