House Republicans are targeting a sprawling national monument in Utah for significant changes — including removing protections for more than 860,000 acres, while leaving the site’s boundaries intact — through the annual appropriations process.
Language included in the fiscal 2026 funding legislation for the Interior Department and EPA published by the House Appropriations Committee on Monday would require the Bureau of Land Management to follow a 2020 Trump administration land-use plan for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The monument in southwestern Utah appeared on a list of a half-dozen monuments that could be targeted for reductions by the second Trump administration.
The 1.9-million-acre southwestern Utah site has been a point of contention since its creation in 1996 by then-President Bill Clinton.
