Former President Bill Clinton denounced President Donald Trump’s decision to shrink Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, saying it was a bad move in many ways.
Recalling his contentious choice to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante during his presidency and the positive feedback he got for it five years after, Clinton said he was “mystified and heartbroken” about the recent cuts.
Clinton said while designating Grand Staircase-Escalante as a national monument in 1996 ultimately lost then-Utah Congressman Bill Orton his job, Utahns later told him they were grateful because the decision brought eco-tourists and other economic opportunities to southern Utah.