Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Oceans, and Wildlife, Drew Caputo released the following statement in response to reports that President Trump plans to shred protections for southern Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

“Let’s be perfectly clear: the President does not have the legal authority to shrink the boundaries of these treasured national monuments—period. In addition to violating the law, shredding protections for Bears Ears would be a historic slap in the face to the sovereign tribes who share sacred ties to these lands. The public has made clear in overwhelming numbers that they want to protect these cherished lands. If President Trump chooses to ignore these voices as well as the law, we will see him in court.” 

RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS:

• Text of the Antiquities Act
• Congressional Research Service reports: “Antiquities Act: Scope of Authority for Modification of National Monuments” and “National Monuments and the Antiquities Act”
• Outdoor Industry Association report on economic activity based on public lands: “The Outdoor Recreation Economy”
• Earthjustice resources on Bears Ears: “Defending Bears Ears National Monument” and “Gutting America’s National Treasures is Unlawful and Unwise”
• Earthjustice materials: “Utah may be trading a dinosaur wonder for a coal mine” and “Trading fossils for fossil fuels at Grand Staircase-Escalante” video
• Headwaters Economics: Summary of the local economic benefits of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and economic report “The Value of Public Lands”
• New York Times: “Utah’s ‘Grand Staircase’ Leads Back in Time to Dinosaur Shangri-La”