The Antiquities Act and our National Monuments are under assault in Congress and we need your help!

Earlier this month, Utah Representative Rob Bishop introduced HR 3990, the “National Monument Creation and Protection Act” and it passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on October 11, 2017 (23 in support, 17 against).

This bill would GUT the Antiquities Act. According to the Sierra Club, the four main takeaways of the bill are:

1. It changes the definition of what qualifies as deserving of protection. Artifacts and buildings are in, items of scientific importance and natural objects are definitely out.
2. It places restrictions on the size of monuments. Anything over 85,000 acres definitely can’t be a monument. National monuments between 10,000 and 85,000 acres require approval from state legislatures and governors, which has been known to take decades.
3. It includes language that explicitly permits the president to rescind a national monument, totally undercutting the Administration and Bishop’s arguments that the Antiquities Act as currently written already allows the president to get rid of a monument.
4. It completely prohibits the creation of marine monuments under the Antiquities Act.

Will you contact your Representative and express your opposition to HR3990?

Please let your representative know why you support our national monuments, those that are protected today and potential ones in the future.

For an excellent editorial by Coalition supporter and Friends of Ironwood Forest Board Member Bill Thornton about why we need to protect the Antiquities Act, head here. 

We don’t know yet when HR 3990 will be debated and voted on in the House of Representatives so check back for an update – we’ll post one here when we know more.

Thank you for speaking out and using your voice to make a difference!

Tags: Antiquties Act, HR 3990, Ironwood Forest National Monument, national monuments, natural resources, public lands