Trump slashes protected national monuments, opening land for industry

Normally, presidents seek to burnish their legacy by designating large tracts of land or swaths of the ocean off limits to development, to be preserved for future generations.

But President Trump is not a typical president.

On Monday, he traveled to Salt Lake City to sign proclamations that slash two national monuments -- Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante -- by more than 80 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

Environmental and Native American rights groups are denouncing the actions, which could eventually allow oil and gas drilling, as well as coal mining, off-road vehicles, and hunting, to occur on former Native American burial sites and other sacred grounds.

Trump cast his decision as a move against "federal overreach."

“... Some people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington. And guess what? They're wrong," Trump said.

President Barack Obama established Bears Ears National Monument in December 2016, while President Bill Clinton designated Grand Staircase in 1996. Bears Ears National Monument, as Obama designated it, was 1.35 million acres. It will now be just 220,000 acres. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will be reduced from 1.7 million acres to about 1 million acres.

Bears Ears National Monument, Utah. Credit: George Frey/Getty Images President Bill Clinton (R) signs an order in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona to designate a vast canyonland in Utah, including Grand Escalante Staircase. Credit: LUKE FRAZZA/AFP/Getty Images

National monument designations put areas off limits to developers, which can anger industry interests. Such moves are made under a 1906 law known as the Antiquities Act, which gives the president the authority to protect areas that are "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" as long as they are on land owned or controlled by the federal government.

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The law does not explicitly provide for the amending of a prior national monument designation, but previous presidents have done so. However, none has done so for decades, and President Trump's rewriting of the map is unusually expansive in the history of the law. Conservation groups, Native American tribes, and others are likely to file suit to block to changes.

Removing the monument designation from millions of acres strips those areas from protections akin to a national park. Instead, the land will still be federally managed, but it could be leased for cattle grazing, oil and gas drilling, as well as coal or mineral mining.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument , Utah. Credit: George Frey/Getty Images

In taking this action, Trump followed the recommendations of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who was tasked with reviewing prior presidents' monument designations of larger than 100,000 acres and recommending possible changes. Under Zinke, the Interior Department’s goals have shifted toward exploiting the resources found on the agency’s vast landholdings. A particular emphasis has been placed on developing fossil fuels, rather than renewable energy.

Sadly, these are not the only two monuments likely to be altered.

The designation of Bears Ears was controversial in Utah, since it set aside such a large area for protection.

Trump cast his action as passing control of the land back to the state. "We will also restore your access and your enjoyment. Public lands will once again be for public use," Trump said. However, recreation is allowed in national monuments, a fact that critics of the decision were quick to point out.

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Trump spoke of hiking and hunting, along with cattle grazing, taking place on these lands. His speech neglected to mention the increased likelihood for industrial activities taking place in some of these areas if Trump's actions are upheld in court.

Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists swiftly condemned Trump's action as illegal.

"Bears Ears is protected today because President Obama listened to tribes and the American people instead of the oil and gas industry. We can’t say the same for the Trump administration,” said House Resources Committee ranking member Raúl M. Grijalva, in a statement.

"Presidents don’t have the power to wipe existing monuments off the map and Republicans know it. This is an unpopular president making unpopular decisions without proper legal authority on behalf of ideological extremists and the oil and gas industry. This is the damage that results when we leave Republicans in charge,” Grijalva said.

Both national monuments are known for their unique rock formations and sweeping vistas. They may now become even more noteworthy for the court cases that will result from Trump's decision, since the decisions may have far-reaching implications for American conservation policy.

Spooky Slot Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. Credit: Universal Images Group via Getty Images The two bluffs known as the "Bears Ears" stand off in the distance at sunset in the Bears Ears National Monument. Credit: George Frey/Getty Images Metate Arch, Grand Staircase, Escalante, Utah . Credit: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images Four Escalante Hoodoos, Grand Staircase Escalante, Utah . Credit: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images Zebra Slot Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. Credit: Christian Heinrich/imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock Toadstools Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. Credit: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah. Credit: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images Devil's Garden Hoodoos, Grand Staircase Escalante, Utah. Credit: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images Peek-a-boo Slot Canyon, Hole in the Rock Road, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. Credit: Christian Heinrich/imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock

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