Trump Administration Will Consider Redrawing Boundaries Of National Monuments As Part Of Energy Push

As part of the Trump administration's push to expand U.S. energy production , federal officials will review and consider redrawing the boundaries of national monuments created under previous presidents to protect unique landscapes and cultural resources.

The review - laid out in a Monday order from new Interior Secretary Doug Burgum - is raising alarms among conservation groups concerned that President Donald Trump will shrink or eliminate monuments established by his predecessors, including Democrat Joe Biden.

Burgum gave agency officials until Feb. 18 to submit plans on how to comply with his order.

Among the sites most at risk are Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah, where state officials fought against their creation. Grand Staircase-Escalante holds large coal reserves, and the Bears Ears area has uranium.

Trump reduced the size of the two monuments during his first term, calling them a "massive land grab." He also lifted fishing restrictions within a sprawling marine monument off the New England Coast.