The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is at the center of a White House plan to shrink protections, reviving 2017-18 rollbacks that aimed to downsize the monument and sparked legal and political battles.
Trump's orders have reduced national monument sizes in Utah, reopening decades-long battles over land protections under the Antiquities Act. Biden previously restored boundaries and expanded protections, while legal questions about unilateral changes persist. The shift has sparked backlash from conservationists and tribes, and from Utah officials seeking more development room.