Trump to shrink Utah national monument

Source: The Hill | October 27, 2017 | Devin Henry

President Trump told Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) on Friday that he will reduce the size of the state’s 1.3 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument.

“I was incredibly grateful when the president called this morning to let us know that he is approving Secretary Zinke’s recommendation on Bears Ears,” Hatch said in a statement.

Hatch’s office said Trump confirmed the news during a phone call Friday. The White House also announced that the president will visit Utah in December to officially announce the news.

“Protecting sacred antiquities is a matter of critical importance, and Secretary Zinke and the Trump administration found a better way to do it by rolling up their sleeves, digging in, and talking with Native American tribes,” Hatch said. “We’ll continue working closely with locals moving forward to ensure that Utahns have a voice in this process.”

Trump met with Zinke on Friday to talk about the status of his monuments review, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in the daily briefing.

She said the White House would “release more details” during Trump’s December visit, “if not before.”

The monument, declared by former President Obama late last year, was one of the most controversial Antiquities Act declarations under review by the Interior Department this summer.

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