A number of environmental and conservation groups filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Monday for shrinking Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument without, as they claim, having the authority to do so.
The plaintiffs also sued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, arguing that the decision to reduce the size of the monument was “unlawful” and “exceeds Trump’s authority under the U.S. Constitution and the Antiquities Act.”
Spokeswoman for the Interior Department Heather Swift said they were “well within our authority,” refusing to comment any further. It was also expected that a group of Native American tribes in Utah file a suit against the president and his administration in federal court against the decision to also drastically reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument.
President Trump announced his decision on Monday, following Zinke’s recommendations to shrink Bear Ears Monument by 80 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by about 45 percent. The two national monuments would be broken into two and three separate ones, respectively.
Before signing the two proclamations at the Utah Capitol Trump said he had made the decision to “reverse federal overreach and restore the rights of this land to your citizens.”
“The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best, and you know the best how to take care of your land. You know how to protect it. And you know best how to conserve this land for many, many generations to come,” Trump said.
In the lawsuit, filed in a federal court, the plaintiffs state that the Antiquities Act gives the president authority to create monuments, but not to abolish them as well.
“Grand Staircase is a cradle of biodiversity, and losing even an acre would be a crime. We must protect this monument’s wildlife, stunning landscapes and cultural treasures for future generations. Trump and the fossil-fuel industry have picked the wrong battle,” said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity, a plaintiff in the case.
Just before the lawsuit was filed, Zinke told reporters that he wasn’t going to succumb to pressure.
“I don’t yield to pressure, only higher principle. And I don’t think public policy should be based on the threat of lawsuit,” he said.
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