Clean Drinking Water for Millions of People at Risk as Trump Administration Targets National Monuments (December 4, 2025 )
December 4, 2025 — The potential elimination or reduction of 31 national monuments designated since the Clinton administration threatens the clean drinking water supply for more than 13 million Americans. A recent analysis found that 83 percent of the river and stream miles within these protected lands have no other substantial conservation protections, making them uniquely vulnerable to industrial development.
The current administration has demonstrated a consistent pattern of targeting public lands, including a strategic plan to “assess and right-size monuments” and a Department of Justice inquiry into the legality of revoking protections entirely. Recent actions include an order to review existing land protections and the potential removal of safeguards for at least six land-based monuments. These threats follow the previous removal of protections for vast ocean areas and the nomination of officials with records of opposing the Antiquities Act.
National monument status is critical for preventing contamination from drilling and mining operations and for maintaining the natural water filtration benefits provided by healthy ecosystems. Rescinding these protections jeopardizes the ecological integrity of these lands and risks the health of the millions of people who depend on them for clean water.
| https://www.americanprogress.org/article/clean-drinking-water-for-millions-of-people-at-risk-as-trump-administration-targets-national-monuments/ |