President Trump Shrinks Size Of Two National Monuments

President Trump traveled to Utah Monday where he announced he is significantly shrinking the size of two national monuments – Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Both are in Utah though Bears Ears also covers part of Arizona.

Under Trump's proclamation, Bears Ears will shrink to 220,000 acres from 1.5 million acres. Grand Staircase-Escalante will go to 1 million acres from 2 million acres. He is the first president to attempt to undo a designation by one of his predecessors.

Trump said the designation of the national monuments had been an example of "federal overreach" that had prevented grazing on the lands.

That's not true. The original designation had only prevented drilling.

Trump had acted on the recommendation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

"No one loves public land more than I do," Zinke told reporters before the president spoke. He added that he's a "steadfast believer in public lands for public use" but "when a monument is used to prevent rather than protect the president is right to take action."

While the president's shrinkage of the national monuments is supported by Utah's two Republican senators – Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch – it is strongly opposed by the five Native American tribes who consider the area sacred.

"Look out over the expanse, the land, the mountains, and take in the beauty," the former president and chairman of the Navajo Nation, Peterson Zah told Patch last month. "This is our church, this is our temple. It is such disrespect.

"For the Navajo, this is a place where you can see the power of the land, you can feel the power of the Great Spirit. It is a place where we pray and honor our ancestors."

Trump's action Monday is expected to be challenged in court by environmental groups and the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.

Watch: Trump Scales Back Utah National Monuments

They are expected to seize on a ruling from the 1930s, which stated the president does not have the power to undo a national monument designated by a predecessor.

In 1938, when Franklin Roosevelt was considering abolishing Castle-Pinckney National Monument, which had been established by Calvin Coolidge, his attorney general wrote he didn't have the authority to do so.

"The Executive can no more destroy his own authorized work, without some other legislative sanction, than any other person can," Homer Cummings wrote.

Photo Josh Ewing, courtesy Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.