Bears Ears national monument shrinkage (USA)
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
Utah's Bears Ears National Monument was declared in 2016, reduced by about 85% in 2017, restored in 2021 and reduced by about 91% on 13 July 2026. Seven mining claims were filed in the removed area the next day.
From about 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres, as reported by E&E News.
Status As of July 2026: Bears Ears was reduced by about 91% on 13 July 2026 and seven mining claims were filed in the removed area the next day; no ruling is recorded in the sources reviewed.
- Kimmerle Mining — Filed seven mining claims in the area removed from Bears Ears on 14 July 2026, and also filed claims after the 2017 reduction. Earthjustice
What happened
Bears Ears National Monument in Utah was declared in 2016. In 2017 it was reduced by about 85%. In 2021 it was restored. On 13 July 2026 a presidential proclamation reduced it from about 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres, a reduction of about 91%, according to E&E News.
On the same date Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was reduced from about 1.87 million acres to about 181,541 acres, about 90%, according to the same report. The 2017 reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante had been about 46%.
On 14 July 2026, the day after the reduction, Kimmerle Mining filed seven mining claims in the area removed from Bears Ears, according to Earthjustice. Earthjustice said the same company had also filed claims after the 2017 reduction.
- 2016Bears Ears National Monument declared
- 2017Monument reduced by about 85%; Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 46%
- 2021Monument restored
- 202613 July: Bears Ears reduced by about 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90%; 14 July: Kimmerle Mining files seven mining claims in the removed area
How it looked
Shown
Recorded
- E&E News reported that the 13 July 2026 proclamation cut Bears Ears by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%.
- Earthjustice reported that mining claims were filed immediately after the reductions; the sources reviewed give seven claims by Kimmerle Mining on 14 July 2026, in the area removed from Bears Ears.
- the sources reviewed give that the same company also filed claims after the 2017 reduction (Earthjustice).
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a combined figure of about 2.93 million acres (about 1.19 million hectares) removed from the two monuments.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a May 2025 US Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion reversing the 1938 view that only Congress may abolish a national monument.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a Colorado uranium company lobbied for the 2017 reduction and has said it asked for 1 to 2 percent (industry statement).
- None on record The sources reviewed record no stated rationale for the 2026 proclamation.
Did the harm stop?
Not recorded in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not recorded in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Trump carves deeper into Utah monument protectionsE&E News · 2026
Communities and civil society
- Mining claims filed immediately after Trump decimates national monuments in UtahEarthjustice · 2026-07
Connected cases
- US coal ash ponds, groundwater contamination and EPA delay United States · 2015–2026
- Earthjustice (NGO) — here: Reported the mining claims; there: Environmental law group
- US Congress lifts 2023 mining ban on Minnesota's Boundary Waters United States · 2023–2026
- Earthjustice (NGO) — here: Reported the mining claims; there: advocacy group reporting the removal
- US Endangered Species Act rollbacks 2025–2026 (God Squad Gulf exemption, critical habitat rules) United States · 2025–2026
- Earthjustice (NGO) — here: Reported the mining claims; there: NGO that stated an intention to sue