A uranium company hoping for easier access to deposits of the radioactive ore petitioned the Trump administration to shrink the size of an Obama-era national monument, according to reports.
Officials from Energy Fuels Resources wrote to the Department of the Interior and met with aides of Secretary Ryan Zinke before he recommended President Trump scale back the size of the monument, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
Earlier in the week, Trump announced that he would be reducing the size of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah after a Department of Interior review that looked at all national monuments designated since 1996. Zinke and other officials have repeatedly said that mining or drilling interests on the land played no role in their recommendation.
Conservation groups, Native American organizations and outdoor retailer Patagonia have banded together in a federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s decision to reduce the size of the monuments. They claim the President’s proclamation is contrary to law and dishonors Native American heritage.
