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Patagonia sues Trump administration over Bears Ears National Monument
upi.com • • nation
Key Points:
- Patagonia has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for drastically reducing the size of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, marking the company's second lawsuit over this issue.
- The monument was originally established by President Obama in 2016 following a proposal from five Tribal entities, who co-manage the area with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
- In July 2023, Trump ordered a reduction of Bears Ears by about 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90%, removing nearly 3 million acres of protected land, prompting Patagonia's renewed legal challenge.
- Patagonia argues that the U.S. Antiquities Act allows presidents to designate national monuments but not to revoke or reduce them, while the Trump administration and Utah officials claim the reductions are necessary to comply with the Act's limits.
- Despite Trump's claims that the large monument sizes restrict public activities like hunting and fishing, state and federal agencies confirm that such recreational activities remain allowed within the monuments.
