On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that he will slash the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah by 2 million acres, the largest rollback of federal protection in the nation’s history. In response, Patagonia—the outdoor clothing and equipment retailer that Igor wishes he had a jacket from—replaced its homepage with a banner reading, “The President Stole Your Land.” Matt Lee-Ashley, a senior fellow with CAP’s Public Lands team and former deputy chief of staff at the Department of the Interior, joins Michele and Igor to break down the impact of these reductions, the importance of our national parks, and why this move is a personal favor to Utah senators, who are backing Trump’s tax measure.
Then, straight from the mouth of Patagonia, the company’s director of philosophy, Vincent Stanley, explains how Patagonia has been involved in the establishment of Bears Ears since the beginning and why President Trump’s unprecedented action deserved a response.
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Michele Jawando is a vice president at the Center for American Progress. Igor Volsky is a vice president at the Center. Sally Tucker is the radio coordinator for Communications at the Center. Rachel Rosen is the senior director of Broadcast Communications at the Center.