Trump administration issues proclamations reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah

President Donald Trump issued two proclamations modifying the boundaries of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, reducing the overall acreage designated as national monument by roughly 90 percent, according to White House materials posted July 13, 2026. The administration said the actions were intended to “restore” what it described as sensible land management and to “rightsize” the monuments for land use in the area.

The White House fact sheet says the Bears Ears National Monument and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument had been set aside in ways that, in the administration’s view, exceeded what it considered appropriate. In that account, the proclamations reduce the monuments to a combined area of about 300,000 acres from about 3 million acres, changing the scope of federal protections and management rules associated with the monument designations.

For Bears Ears, the White House posted a proclamation text titled “Modifying the Bears Ears National Monument.” It states that the original monument was established by President Barack Obama through Proclamation 9558 on December 28, 2016, reserving approximately 1.35 million acres of federal land and directing joint management arrangements. The July 2026 proclamation modifies the monument, according to the document published.

For Grand Staircase-Escalante, the White House posted a separate proclamation text titled “Modifying the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.” The proclamation text describes the monument’s creation under President Bill Clinton through Proclamation 6920 on September 18, 1996, and frames the July 2026 modification as changing the monument’s boundaries and the federal land encompassed by the designation.

Administration officials’ rationale, as reflected in the White House fact sheet, centers on a claim that monument acreage had been larger than necessary and that the modified boundaries would permit broader, locally informed land use while continuing federal oversight. The fact sheet also characterizes the change as a response to government overreach and emphasizes that the monuments are being resized rather than eliminated entirely.

The practical effect of boundary modifications is tied to how land is managed after designation. While specific day-to-day rules can vary by agency and by the remaining monument areas, monument reductions typically alter which lands are subject to monument-specific restrictions and planning requirements. The administration’s next steps likely depend on how the Department of the Interior and partner land managers update management plans and permitting processes for the resized monument units, and whether additional implementation guidance is issued after the proclamations take effect. Federal Register publication was not included in the materials provided here.