USA Today reports:
President Trump departed for Utah on Monday to announce what could be the largest rollback of federally protected lands in history.
Trump’s decision on the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments would mark an unprecedented use of presidential power to shrink the national monument designations made by two of his predecessors.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended that Trump vastly reduce the size of the monuments, stripping them of federal protections and instead turning over stewardship to state and tribal governments.
“We’re going to be doing something that the state of Utah and others have wanted to be done for many, many years,” Trump said Monday at the White House before leaving for Utah. “So important for states’ rights and so important for the people of Utah.”
In advance of Pres Trump announcement on National Monuments, @SecretaryZinke said the president is right to take action because “our public land is for the public to use and not special interests.” pic.twitter.com/0SKH0fM7mT
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) December 4, 2017
Trump is taking steps to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by nearly 2 million acres https://t.co/mYwhScbi5y pic.twitter.com/ODHMEAbOZI
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 4, 2017
'We'll see the battle lines': Trump faced by Native American alliance over US national monuments announcement https://t.co/23TXXwbCMi pic.twitter.com/d803DvEZNS
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) December 4, 2017
If Trump destroys Bears Ears national monument today, he'll also be destroying thousands of Native American cultural, archeological, and sacred sites. https://t.co/NS7kej7Gmf #StandWithBearsEars
— NRDC ? (@NRDC) December 4, 2017