in effect
Proclamation 11044, signed July 13, 2026, is a presidential action under the Antiquities Act that formally shrinks the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. It revokes the 2021 Biden-era boundary expansion and replaces it with a much smaller monument footprint managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
The monument is reduced from approximately 1.87 million acres to approximately 181,541 acres — a reduction of roughly 1.69 million acres. The remaining monument is reorganized into two named units: the Canyons of the Escalante Unit (~172,641 acres) and the Kaiparowits Horizon Unit (~8,900 acres). Sixty days after July 13, 2026, the excluded lands become open to mining claims, mineral and geothermal leasing, and general public-land disposition. The Secretary of the Interior is directed to write a new management plan and transportation plan for the retained monument lands, with explicit instructions to maximize access for grazing, recreation, hunting, and infrastructure. Voluntarily relinquished grazing permits within the monument must be re-allocated to new holders within one year unless the Secretary finds a specific reason not to.
Ranchers and livestock operators in the area retain existing grazing authorizations and gain additional policy priority, as the proclamation designates grazing lands as a “traditional cultural place” and lists grazing as a primary vegetation management tool. Mining companies, mineral developers, and energy interests gain the legal ability to file claims and seek leases on the roughly 1.69 million acres removed from monument status starting 60 days after the signing date. Tribal nations, state and local governments, recreational users, and conservation organizations are designated as parties the BLM must consult during management planning, but have no guaranteed outcome from that process.