December 12, 2017
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, “National Monument Creation and Protection Act” would severely constrain the power of the president to designate national monuments. It would limit the size of monuments a president could designate as well as the kinds of places protected.
Rep. Bishop’s bill is an unvarnished attack on our national parks and public lands. It appears Rep. Bishop and Interior Secretary Zinke are in a race to see who has the most anti-parks and public lands agenda. This bill upends a century of the Antiquities Act being successfully used by Republican and Democratic presidents to protect some of the most iconic and loved parks and public lands in our country. And this is being done to allow development of these lands that belong to all Americans for the benefit of private companies and individuals. This bill is a slap in the face to all Americans who love our public lands, and it should be defeated in the House and Senate.