Joe Biden

“Until you get either some kind of congressional solution or a binding judicial opinion as to what the president's authority is, then we get the unfortunate result of having things bounce back and forth” with Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, said one public lands law expert.

In his speech, the president said he was releasing previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections, when he lost the presidential election and his party suffered losses. He did not raise doubts about his election wins in 2016 or 2024.

Flanked by Utah’s delegation, Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Speaker Mike Schultz, the president again reduced the boundaries and protections of the two monuments. Conservationists and tribal leaders worry it could undo years of work to protect these lands.

The canceled rule allowed public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling. It was a key part of efforts under former President Joe Biden to refocus the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.

Projects across Utah’s Colorado River Basin meant to protect water supplies and restore rivers are in a holding pattern — including a $200 million reservoir near Price, Utah.

The proposed road through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area has been a long-fought tug-of-war between administrations, courts, Congress and the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise.

The legal opinion released Tuesday disavows a 1938 determination that monuments created by previous president can’t be revoked.

Maloy says the country risks drifting toward authoritarianism if the executive branch isn't brought under control. But she says her concern isn't specific to President Donald Trump's administration and existed when Democrat Joe Biden was in the White House, too.

President Donald Trump froze billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act that was designed to protect water supplies for cities, farms and tribes.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered federal officials to review and consider redrawing the boundaries of national monuments created under previous presidents to protect unique landscapes and cultural resources. The order is part of President Donald Trump's push to expand U.S. energy production.

Funding from the Inflation Reduction Act was allocated to conserve water and protect habitat, but President Donald Trump's executive order put that spending on hold.

In his final address as president, Biden warned of an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and of a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy.