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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's executive order mandating a review of the designation of tens of millions of acres of U.S. land as national monuments.
11:55 a.m.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order mandating the review of dozens of national monuments designated by his predecessors over the past 20 years.
Trump's move could upend protections of federal lands in Utah and other states.
Trump says during an appearance at the Interior Department that the order will end what he is calling an "egregious abuse of federal power" and give power back — as he puts it — "to the states and the people where it belongs."
President Barack Obama infuriated Utah Republicans when he created the Bears Ears National Monument in late December with more than 1 million acres of land.
Critics worry that Trump's order could lead to a loss of protections on federal land and open new areas to oil and gas drilling.
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3:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump is asking for a review of the designation of tens of millions of acres of land as "national monuments." He will sign an executive order Wednesday tasking his interior secretary with leading that review.
The action could upend protections put in place in Utah and other states as Trump tries to rack up accomplishments in his first 100 days. The order comes as Trump tries build on the presidential acumen he's established early on at the White House.
The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorizes the president to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict how the lands can be used.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told reporters about the move at the White House Tuesday evening.
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