Oil was a reason in the Trump administration’s decision to reduce the size of the Bears Ears National Monument.

According to the “New York Times,” the Department of the Interior was already researching potential oil and gas drilling in the Bears Ears National Monument area before President Trump opened a profile review for the monument last spring.

The report also details how Republican Senator Orrin Hatch influenced the boundaries by providing maps and insight on where changes should be made.

The Kaiparowits plateau is mentioned as a major point of emphasis in the decision, since it contains one of the largest coal deposits in the U.S.