Utah Sues Biden Over Boundaries of Vast National Monuments

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has filed a lawsuit to challenge President Joe Biden’s alleged unlawful designation of two national monuments, the state’s Republican governor, Spencer J. Cox, said Wednesday.

Cox’s government is moving to undo Biden’s decision to restore the original size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah which former President Donald Trump had reduced during his term.

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are by far the two largest of Utah’s nine national monuments, covering a combined 3.2 million acres of land. Utah is arguing that this is much bigger than necessary and makes them difficult to properly care for.

In fact, all seven of Utah’s other monuments and all five of its national parks, plus New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington D.C., and the entire state of Delaware, could fit inside the two national monuments in question, according to a video shared by Cox.

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox speaks during a briefing at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 8, 2021. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News via AP)

This makes it difficult to properly manage and conserve the national monuments, which face vandalism, while attracting large numbers of visitors, the video states.

“The lands that make up Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are a stewardship that none of us take lightly. But rather than guarding those resources, President Biden’s unlawful designations place them all at risk,” Cox said on Twitter.

Lawsuit

Utah’s attorney general, Reyes, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, arguing Biden’s decision violates the Antiquities Act of 1906.

The Antiquities Act of 1906 limits U.S. presidents to keep monuments “confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”

Biden invoked tribal rights

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