Patagonia sues US government over Utah monument reductions

Patagonia has filed a lawsuit against the US government to challenge orders that would significantly reduce the size of two protected landscapes in Utah: Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

According to the company, the proposed reductions would strip protections from nearly 3 million acres. The orders would decrease the size of Bears Ears by approximately 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90%. Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert stated that the rollback is a “betrayal of Tribal sovereignty” and undermines the unique co-management structure established between the federal government and five Tribal nations: the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni.

The legal dispute centers on the interpretation of the Antiquities Act. Patagonia argues that while presidents have the authority to create national monuments under the act, they do not have the power to eliminate them. This marks a continuation of a long-standing conflict over public land management and Tribal rights.