Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, has introduced a bill in Congress to amend the Antiquities Act, which grants U.S. presidents the right to create national monuments. Last month, President Obama designated 1.35 million acres under the act in Utah and another 300,000 acres in Nevada, bringing his total to nearly 538 million acres, more than any other president.
Called the Improved National Monument Designation Process Act, SB 437 is part of a larger effort by some Republican lawmakers to reduce federal control of public lands. Under the bill, a president could no longer create a monument through executive order, but would have to get approval from Congress and also the state in which the monument is located, says High Country News.
For a marine-based monument, like the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii, all states within 100 nautical miles of the zone would have to approve. For both land and ocean monuments, the EPA would also have to undertake a detailed environmental review of the area to decide if there were any downsides to a monument’s creation. And for marine monuments certain restrictions, like prohibiting oil drilling, would require an additional act of Congress.
Murkowski argued in a statement that Obama’s monuments “routinely come with complete disregard for local concerns and opposition, threatening energy, mining, fishing, ranching, recreation, and other reasonable uses of public land and waters.”
The bill, which has 25 cosponsors, is under consideration by the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, which is chaired by Murkowski.