The Trump Administration cut the size of two national monuments in southern Utah designated by previous administrations.
An Interior Department report notes previous presidents reduced the size of various monuments 16 times. It cites provisions in the 1906 Antiquities Act that monuments may be "confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected."
Lawsuits by the Natural Resources Defense Council and other plaintiffs dispute the Administration's position, saying authority to reduce the size of a monument lies solely with Congress. Both cases are proceeding in D.C. District Court.