By, Madeleine Doggett
The new Republican Majority in the Senate and the House has already begun to introduce destructive anti-environmental policies. The previous policy efforts of congress such as increasing the use of renewable resources and protecting our air, land and water are expected to be not only limited but also potentially undone. On January 13 Rep. Don Young (R-AK) introduced a bill to congress called Marine Access and State Transparency Act (H.R. 330), which would overturn the presidents previous ability to designate national monuments.
The bill seeks to amend the 1906 Antiquities Act, which has given Presidents the authority to designate areas as national monuments or parks for over a century. The bill would create unnecessary obstacles for the president to be able to act quickly to protect land such as requiring an environmental review of the land as well as needing congressional approval. Further the new bill would require the President to gain approval from state governments for any marine monuments. Alex Taurel, The League of Conservation Voters Deputy Legislative Director, released a statement following the introduction of the bill “Congressman Young missed the message the American people sent during the government shutdown two years ago. Americans value our National Parks and iconic areas like Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty, but this legislation would attack the century-old law that has helped protect them. By introducing this bill, Rep. Young has proven how out of step with the American people he truly is.”
The Antiquities bill has been praised as a bi-partisan tradition used by 16 presidents to protect national land. Obama has used the bill 13 times already in his presidency. The bill is also widely supported by the American Public. According to a new Hart Research Poll, 90 percent of voters support the president’s ability to designate certain lands as national parks or wildlife refuge areas. The National Monuments Campaign Director of the Wilderness Society, Matt Keller stated, “This bill is tone-deaf to what the American people are asking of their elected officials and says, in effect, that our nation doesn’t need any more national parks and conservation lands.”
Republicans in Congress have attempted to curtail the Presidents ability to protect National Parks under the Antiquity Act before. Legislation was passed last year, which limits the number of national monuments the president can designate to one per state for each term. Supporters of H.R. 330 claim that the antiquities bill gives the president to much power to turn state land into federal and is no longer about the protection of vulnerable land but about “scoring political points”, according to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.).
The new Congress is expected to continue to propose legislation which would hinder the presidents ability to protect land, water and air by creating superfluous obstacles and red-tape.
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