The Trump administration has quietly started a review of public land protections that could mean drastic changes to Utah’s national monuments — for the second time.
Doug Burgum, the newly minted Secretary of Interior, directed his department to begin “unleashing American energy” by removing barriers to developing oil, gas and critical minerals on federal lands.
Part of that plan is taking “actions to review and, where appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands,” like national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Those include Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in southern Utah, and more than 100 other monuments across the country.
Interior staff must submit an “action plan” to Burgum by Feb. 18, just 15 days after signing secretarial orders Monday.
“We are committed to working collaboratively to unlock America’s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family,” Burgum said in a statement, “while showing the world the power of America’s natural resources and innovation.”
[Read more: Here’s what new Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said about public lands]
Environmental groups contend that this review will lead to diminished national monuments, opening up that public land to drilling, mining and other development.
Dan Hartinger, senior director of agency policy for The Wilderness Society, said Burgum’s orders are “hiding the ball on a review of national monuments,” since the review doesn’t explicitly name them — just “withdrawn public lands.”
“The White House and Interior know full well how unpopular these actions are,” Hartinger said in a statement.
A January poll found that 71% of Utah voters support Bears Ears National Monument and 74% support Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The survey also concluded that 75% of respondents support the president’s ability to designate national monuments using the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Burgum’s directive to review national monuments aligns with Project 2025, the right-wing plan to reshape the federal government under President Donald Trump. The 900-page document was published by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., in April 2023.
Project 2025 argues that previous presidents have “abused [their] authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906” and suggested a review of national monument designations.
The plan also calls for the Trump administration to repeal the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy in January introduced the Ending Presidential Overreach on Public Lands Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The law would remove the president’s ability to create national monuments using the Antiquities Act and give that power to Congress.
Utah Republican Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis introduced companion legislation in the Senate, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox expressed support for the bill.
“The broad strokes used by past Presidents to designate national monuments have caused undue harm to the people who actually live on and care for those lands,” Curtis said in a January statement. “This is a task best handled through Congress, working in partnership with the constituents who know these areas best.”
During his first term, Trump slashed Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by millions of acres, citing local opposition to the designations. President Joe Biden reversed those reductions in 2021.
