The controversy regarding the federal protection of public lands in the American west is heading into new territory as President Trump tests the limits of presidential powers.
Josh Dawsey and Juliet Eilperin report: "President Trump on Monday drastically scaled back two national monuments established in Utah by his Democratic predecessors, the largest reduction of public lands protection in U.S. history."
The decision will reduce "the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 1.1 million acres and more than 800,000 acres, respectively," according to the article.
The decision was met with praise from conservative lawmakers and industry organizations such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, as detailed by Dawsey and Eilperin. Several tribal representatives and conservation organizations followed the news with promises to challenge the decision in court.
The decision "also plunges the Trump administration into uncharted legal territory since no president has sought to modify monuments established under the 1906 Antiquities Act in more than half a century," according to the article.
For more on the decision, see an article by Kate Wheeling, which notes that the decision might not be as popular among Americans living in the West as President Trump expects.
FULL STORY: Trump shrinks two huge national monuments in Utah, drawing praise and protests
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