Deb Haaland, the interior secretary, has advised President Biden to reinstate boundaries at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, and also in a marine area off New England. All were reduced by former President Donald J. Trump.
President Biden has promised to reinstate more than 100 rules and regulations aimed at environmental protection that his predecessor rolled back. It won’t happen overnight.
President Joe Biden has an ambitious public lands agenda, vowing to ban new oil and gas drilling on federal territory and restore protections. But because of rules changes and a conservative court makeover, reversing the Trump legacy will not be easy.
Little on-the-ground damage to the Utah public lands has been seen since they were shrunk in 2017. But conservationists say the sooner they can be properly protected again, the better.
