"Prospectors are eyeing mineral deposits within the former boundaries of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah."
"About a month after President Trump sharply reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah, at least nine mining claims have been staked on land that is no longer protected from development, public records show.
The claims suggest that some companies are racing to dig up minerals within the former boundaries of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, which are rich in wildlife habitat and archaeological treasures but also sit atop vast reserves of uranium and other precious metals.
On July 13, Mr. Trump signed proclamations that shrank both sites by more than 90 percent, opening nearly three million acres to mining, oil and gas drilling and other commercial activities. The proclamations said that new mining claims would be allowed within the monuments’ former boundaries starting on Sept. 11.
But the next day, the Utah-based company Kimmerle Mining filed seven mining claims in areas that were removed from Bears Ears, according to records from the San Juan County Recorder’s Office in Utah. Kyle Kimmerle, an executive at the company, has challenged the monument’s previous boundaries in court, claiming they “locked up” valuable minerals."
Maxine Joselow reports for the New York Times August 14, 2026.
