26 National Monuments President Trump Wants to Shut Down
April 28, 2017 by Thomas FrohlichPresident Donald Trump, in an executive order signed on Wednesday, ordered Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to conduct a review of all national monuments of 100,000 acres or greater designated since since January 1, 1996. The monuments to be reviewed were all established under sitting U.S. presidents under the Antiquities Act of 1906.
The Trump administration explained that some monument designations by previous administrations were the result of inadequate public outreach and coordination with state, tribal, and local officials.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 26 national monuments that the secretary will submit recommendations on within the next 120 days, based on the order’s criteria. The monuments under review range from President Bill Clinton’s designation in 1996 of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah to most recently, President Barack Obama’s designation last year of the Bears Ears National Monument, also in Utah.
Click here to see the 26 national monuments President Trump wants to shut down.
Unlike national parks, which must be approved by Congress, national monuments can be established unilaterally by sitting presidents as per the Antiquities Act of 1906. All but three of the 19 presidents in office have used this power. Republican President George W. Bush, designated seven national monuments during his tenure, including several that meet the criteria for review under the executive order.
Still, the act is a long-standing sore point for conservatives who often see these designations as federal land grabs and violations of state sovereignty. These designations, critics argue, hinder American enterprise from exploiting potentially valuable land resources.
Conservationists, however, laud the power vested in presidents by the Antiquities Act. These monuments, they argue, are invaluable national treasures that need to be protected from development and destructive resource extraction. These monuments are not just important historical landmarks and wildlife sanctuaries, but they can also contribute to regional economies, by way of tourism.
To determine which national monuments might be shut down by President Trump, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed all national monuments designated after January 1, 1996 with at least 100,000 acres. Some monuments have been expanded since their initial designation. The date and president listed relate to the original designation of the monument rather than the expansion. However, the acreage listed is the total area of the monument, including any area added during an expansion. Most details are from the National Parks Service page on the Antiquities Act of 1906. Some data came from official National Monument websites.
These are the 26 national monuments President Trump wants to shut down.
1. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
> State: Utah
> Date designated: 9/18/1996
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 1,700,000 acres
[in-text-ad]
2. Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
> State: Arizona
> Date designated: 1/11/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 1,014,000 acres
3. Giant Sequoia National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 4/15/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 327,769 acres
4. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
> State: Colorado
> Date designated: 6/9/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 164,000 acres
[in-text-ad-2]
5. Hanford Reach National Monument
> State: Washington
> Date designated: 6/9/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 195,000 acres
6. Ironwood Forest National Monument
> State: Arizona
> Date designated: 6/9/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 128,917 acres
[in-text-ad]
7. Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 10/24/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 280,022 acres
24/7 Wall St.
8. Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
> State: Arizona
> Date designated: 11/9/2000
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 293,000 acres
9. Carrizo Plain National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 1/17/2001
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 204,107 acres
[in-text-ad-2]
10. Sonoran Desert National Monument
> State: Arizona
> Date designated: 1/17/2001
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 486,149 acres
11. Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
> State: Montana
> Date designated: 1/17/2001
> President: W. Clinton
> Acreage: 377,346 acres
[in-text-ad]
12. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument National Monument
> State: Hawaii
> Date designated: 6/15/2006
> President: G. W. Bush
> Acreage: 372,849,920 acres
24/7 Wall St.
13. World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
> State: Hawaii
> Date designated: 12/5/2008
> President: G. W. Bush
> Acreage: 4,038,400 acres
14. Rose Atoll National Monument
> State: American Samoa
> Date designated: 1/6/2009
> President: G. W. Bush
> Acreage: 8,608,640 acres
[in-text-ad-2]
15. Pacific Remote Islands National Monument
> State: Hawaii
> Date designated: 1/6/2009
> President: G. W. Bush
> Acreage: 316,920,960 acres
16. Marianas Trench National Monument
> State: Northern Mariana Islands and Guam
> Date designated: 1/6/2009
> President: G. W. Bush
> Acreage: 60,938,240 acres
[in-text-ad]
17. Rio Grande del Norte National Monument
> State: New Mexico
> Date designated: 3/25/2013
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 242,555 acres
18. Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
> State: New Mexico
> Date designated: 5/21/2014
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 496,330 acres
19. San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 10/10/2014
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 346,177 acres
[in-text-ad-2]
20. Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 7/10/2015
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 330,780 acres
21. Basin and Range National Monument
> State: Nevada
> Date designated: 7/10/2015
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 704,000 acres
[in-text-ad]
22. Mojave Trails National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 2/12/2016
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 1,600,000 acres
24/7 Wall St.
23. Sand to Snow National Monument
> State: California
> Date designated: 2/12/2016
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 154,000 acres
24. Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
> State: Massachusetts
> Date designated: 9/15/2016
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 3,144,320 acres
[in-text-ad-2]
25. Gold Butte National Monument
> State: Nevada
> Date designated: 12/28/2016
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 296,937 acres
26. Bears Ears National Monument
> State: Utah
> Date designated: 12/28/2016
> President: B. H. Obama
> Acreage: 1,350,000 acres
Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.