National Monuments

A commissioner near Grand Staircase-Escalante supports the Trump administration significantly shrinking two national parks in the state. Conservationists oppose the move.

Salt Lake Tribune reporters Addy Baird and Andy Larsen join to talk about the week’s top stories, including if hikers should be worried after a Utah man was killed by lightning, and more.

Utah political leaders claimed the monument designations locked up too much land. Conservation groups argued that land needs to be protected for future generations.

The state challenged former President Biden's national monument designations, saying they were too big and broad. However, some environmental groups remained confident the designations will hold.

Republican lawmakers are increasingly turning to the Congressional Review Act to overturn public lands management plans — but until now, it hadn't been used to target a national monument.

The analysis argues that national monuments help protect the rivers that millions rely on for drinking water. Under the Trump administration, those protections could weaken.

Interior Department officials are analyzing the boundaries of national monuments, and planning to increase energy development on public lands.

In other news, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments could shrink again under President Trump. And, a mountain lion was spotted near a Murray apartment complex Wednesday morning.

Ahead of possible changes by the incoming Trump administration, the poll found that Utah voters were in support of preserving existing monuments and Native stewardship of the land.

Natalie Gochnour and Shireen Ghorbani discuss the peaceful transfer of power, Biden's legacy, and the year ahead for Utah politics.