President Donald Trump’s July decision to sharply shrink two major national monuments in Utah took effect for mining and mineral development on September 11, when nearly 2.93 million acres removed from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante became eligible for new mining claims and mineral leasing.The two presidential proclamations, signed on July 13 and published in the Federal Register on July 17, reduced the protected footprints of the monuments by more than 90% each. Under the proclamations, the excluded federal lands could, after 60 days, become available for mineral and geothermal leasing as well as location, entry and patent under federal mining laws.
Bears Ears reduced to about 121,000 acres
Trump’s Proclamation 11043 reduced Bears Ears National Monument from approximately 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres. The remaining monument consists of the Shash Ja’a Unit, covering approximately 106,816 acres, and the Indian Creek Unit, covering about 14,279 acres.The proclamation excluded approximately 1.24 million acres from the monument. It said the excluded lands would, 60 days after the proclamation, be open to entry and disposition under public-land laws, mineral and geothermal leasing laws, and mining laws, subject to valid existing rights, existing withdrawals and applicable law.The administration argued that the original boundaries were broader than necessary to protect objects of historic and scientific interest. Trump’s proclamation also pointed to deposits of critical minerals, including silver, copper, molybdenum, lead, uranium, vanadium and zinc, saying greater access to domestic resources could reduce US reliance on foreign supplies.
Grand Staircase-Escalante also dramatically shrunk
A second proclamation, Proclamation 11044, reduced Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from approximately 1.87 million acres to about 181,541 acres.The remaining monument is divided into the approximately 172,641-acre Canyons of the Escalante Unit and the roughly 8,900-acre Kaiparowits Horizon Unit.Trump’s proclamation excluded approximately 1.69 million acres from the monument. Like the Bears Ears order, it specified that the excluded lands would become available for public-land dispositions, mineral and geothermal leasing and activities authorized under federal mining laws 60 days after the proclamation.
September 11 deadline opens the door to mining claims
The 60-day waiting period specified in both proclamations ended on September 11, 2026. Conservation and public-lands groups have said the excluded areas can now be opened to new mining claims and potential oil and gas leasing, although individual activities remain subject to other applicable laws, existing withdrawals, land-use rules and valid existing rights.The distinction is important: the September 11 date made the lands legally eligible for the specified activities; it does not mean that mining operations automatically began across the 2.93 million acres.
Why Trump changed the boundaries
The proclamations argue that many of the resources identified in the Biden administration’s 2021 restoration of the monuments were either not sufficiently unique to warrant national-monument protection or were already protected by other federal laws.Trump’s Bears Ears proclamation said the monument’s original 1.36 million-acre reservation was not the “smallest area compatible” with protecting the objects identified for preservation. It concluded that approximately 121,096 acres would provide adequate protection.The Grand Staircase-Escalante proclamation made a similar argument, saying the monument could be reduced to approximately 181,541 acres while continuing to protect resources deemed to have sufficient historic or scientific significance.Both proclamations also emphasized the administration’s interest in domestic supplies of critical minerals and other resources.
Tribal and conservation concerns
The changes have drawn strong opposition from conservation organizations and groups representing interests connected to the monuments. Bears Ears in particular has deep cultural significance for Native American tribes, including the Hopi Nation, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni.The July proclamation disbanded the Bears Ears Commission, which had been established to provide guidance on management of the monument. The proclamation nevertheless requires continued consultation with federally recognized tribes under other applicable authorities.Conservation groups have also challenged the legality and consequences of the boundary reductions. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers said the two proclamations removed nearly 2.93 million acres of national-monument protections, while other public-land groups have warned that the changes could increase pressure for mining and energy development.
What happens next
The excluded lands remain federal public lands rather than becoming private property. The proclamations direct federal agencies to manage the remaining monuments through updated management and transportation plans, while allowing traditional uses such as grazing, recreation and public access to continue subject to applicable law.At Bears Ears, the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service are responsible for managing the remaining monument jointly. At Grand Staircase-Escalante, management remains under the Bureau of Land Management.With the September 11 deadline now passed, the focus shifts to how mining companies and other resource interests use the newly available land, and whether legal challenges to Trump’s sweeping monument reductions will alter their future.
