According to multiple reports, the Trump Administration may be seeking to significantly reduce the size of six national monuments in the southwest in order to start drilling and mining projects.
In Arizona, this would include Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon and Ironwood Forest National Monument in southern Arizona, according to the Washington Post.
During President Trump’s first term, the sizes of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah were reduced, along with other environmental protections that were lifted. Former President Biden restored those protections. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante may be at risk again, according to reports, in addition to other sites.
These monuments bring economic boosts and income for the area as hunters, hikers, and tourists come to visit.
ABC15 has learned from advocates who say they're willing to fight for each of Arizona's potentially impacted monuments, which struggled to receive national monument designations in the first place.
Reporter Rachel Louise Just looked into these reports and spoke with advocates about what's next for Arizona's national monuments. Watch the full story in the video player above.
