The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) said it opposed the “National Monument and Creation Act,”  that “National Monument and Creation Act” that would limit the power of the president to designate public land as national monuments.

A note from Alexander Boian, OIA’s vice president of government affairs, follows:

Hello,

In response to Representative Rob Bishop’s (R-UT-1) introduction of H.R. 3990, the “National Monument and Creation Act,” Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) released the following statement and called on the outdoor industry to help defeat the bill: 

Congressman Rob Bishop, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, has introduced the “National Monument Creation and Protection Act.” The legislation is an attack on the Antiquities Act and undermines the protection and enjoyment of our nation’s public lands and waters.

The legislation was hastily introduced yesterday and immediately scheduled for a vote tomorrow, October 11, in Bishop’s committee. This kind of “fast-tracking” is unusual and concerning.

Adding to our concern, the legislation

  • changes the very definition of antiquities to specifically exclude protection for America’s iconic lands, water, and wildlife habitat;
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  • allows energy and mineral development on public lands and waters that are designated for protection;
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  • requires the approval of county commissioners, the state legislature, and the governor before the president can act to protect certain monuments; and
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  • acknowledges that the president currently lacks the authority to reduce or revoke national monuments, but the bill would provide the president new authority to do just that.

In short, Bishop’s bill will undermine a legacy established more than 100 years ago and used by 16 presidents, Republican and Democratic alike, to designate 157 national monuments, dozens of which eventually became our national parks, across the country.

Since 1906, the Antiquities Act has been used to protect America’s iconic landscapes, waterways, wildlife sanctuaries, culturally and historically significant places, and areas of monumental beauty. The Antiquities Act ensures these places remain uncorrupted and accessible for the enjoyment of every American today and into the future. These emblematic places have become outdoor recreation destinations and catalysts for positive job creation and sustainable economies in communities across the nation.

As OIA’s public lands designation policy states, we believe that local input and well-vetted legislation should be the first course of action whenever designating federal lands for protection. We also believe that the Antiquities Act is a foundational law that protects outdoor recreation on federal lands and must be preserved.

OIA calls on outdoor industry business leaders and every friend of outdoor recreation to use this link to call members of the House Natural Resources Committee before tomorrow’s committee markup and vote, and ask them to stop this dangerous legislation and the harm it will cause to the lands and waters on which we hike, hunt, bike, camp, climb, boat, and fish.

Ask these committee members to preserve the Antiquities Act, vote NO on H.R. 3990, and protect our communities, our economies, and our national heritage.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Alex

Alexander Boian | Vice President of Government Affairs

OUTDOOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (OIA)

2580 55th Street, Suite 101, Boulder, CO 80301

direct 303.327.3509 | mobile 720.480.3560

Follow: @AlexOIApolicy