Patagonia and Tribes File New Lawsuit to Halt Utah Monument Reductions
Patagonia, several Indigenous tribes and conservation groups have refiled a federal suit challenging the Trump administration’s drastic cutbacks to the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah.
Patagonia and a coalition of Indigenous tribes—Hopi, Navajo, Ute and Zuni—along with conservation groups led by the Natural Resources Defense Council have reopened a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to slash the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by 91%, removing more than 3 million acres. The plaintiffs contend the action breaches the Antiquities Act of 1906, which grants presidents authority solely to designate monuments, not to revoke them.
Their 50-page second amended complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, cites potential damage to the sites’ rich fossil record, ancient cliff dwellings and cultural artifacts, and warns that mining claims have already been filed on the excised lands. The lawsuit seeks a court order enforcing Congress’s limited delegation of power to the president. Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert criticized the administration’s claim that the monuments were inaccessible, noting substantial visitor numbers and the economic benefits of tourism to surrounding communities.
Why it matters
The case could determine whether presidents can undo monument protections, affecting land use and cultural heritage across the U.S.
In this story
