Mining companies are staking mining claims on land in Utah once located within national monuments shrunk last month by President Donald Trump.
One company took the initial step to claim within the Bears Ears National Monument just one day after Trump pulled back protections on July 13, according to county documents obtained by an environmental group.
While the mining claims are just a fraction of the state’s potential mining activity — about 10,300 claims were filed in 2023 — they signify interest in development in a once-protected areas.
Brian Somers, president of the Utah Mining Association, said in a phone interview that he couldn’t comment on the companies’ activities as they’re not members of the association. But Somers said that staking a claim is the first step in a much longer process overseen by state and federal regulators.
