Trump requiring review of national monuments
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order mandating the review of dozens of national monuments designated by his predecessors over the past 20 years. Trump's move could upend protections of federal lands in Utah and other states.
Trump says during an appearance at the Interior Department that the order will end what he is calling an "egregious abuse of federal power" and give power back, as he puts it, "to the states and the people where it belongs."
President Barack Obama infuriated Utah Republicans when he created the Bears Ears National Monument in late December with more than 1 million acres of land. Critics worry that Trump's order could lead to a loss of protections on federal land and open new areas to oil and gas drilling.
