After President Trump illegally shrank Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah last year, removing federal protections from approximately 2 million acres of public land, his supporters swore it had nothing to do with drilling or mining. They claimed the move, which is now being challenged in federal court, was about listening to public input, nothing more.
When skeptics pointed out that Grand Staircase-Escalante has known coal deposits and Bears Ears has suspected oil and gas reserves, Trump boosters — including key figures on Capitol Hill — said they were dreaming. My colleague Rep.