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Patagonia joins coalition of conservation groups in lawsuit against President Trump's reduction of Utah national monuments

Patagonia has joined a coalition of environmental conservation groups and tribal organizations in a federal lawsuit challenging the administration's decision to reduce the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. The administration announced the reduction of nearly three million acres of land from these monuments in July, opening the areas to oil, gas, and hard rock mining. Conservationists and the retailer argue that the president lacked the authority to shrink monuments under the Antiquities Act, which allows for the creation of monuments but does not explicitly state that a president can undo them. The administration defended the move as a "rightsizing" of the land to allow for common sense land use, noting that previous administrations had locked up millions of acres. The new litigation reactivates a legal battle that began in 2017. The reduction significantly impacts sacred tribal lands, ending a joint management agreement between the federal government and a commission of five tribal nations. While the administration maintains the move supports responsible stewardship, opponents argue the reduction leaves sensitive archaeological and environmental resources vulnerable to development.

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