Energy & Environment

Patagonia files suit against Trump cuts to Utah monuments

Outdoor recreation company Patagonia has sued to block President Trump’s cuts to Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The company called Trump’s announcement that he is reducing the size of Bears Ears by 84 percent an “extreme overreach in authority.” 

The company had indicated earlier Wednesday it would sue the Trump administration over the decision to reduce the monument’s size. 

{mosads}Trump announced Monday that his administration will reduce the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by roughly 1 million acres each. The lands were set aside by former Presidents Obama and Clinton.

Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario pointed to the company’s “longstanding environmental and social values,” and said Trump’s decision would open the lands to development and commercial use.

The company displayed a banner on its website following the announcement reading “The President Stole Your Land.” Marcario denied that the message was a political move.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took issue with the advertisement, calling it “shameful.”

The Najavo Nation and four other American Indian tribes have also sued Trump over the Bears Ears decision.