New Bill Seeks To Gut Antiquities Act

Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Alliance and Access Fund were quick to respond to the bill introduced last week by Utah Congressman Rob Bishop.

The National Monument Creation and Protection Act was introduced by Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) last week, leading to an outcry from outdoor industry groups. “This bill would effectively gut the Antiquities Act, and it has already moved through the House Natural Resources Committee and is on its way to a potential House of Representatives floor vote,” the Access Fund said in a statement.

The Outdoor Industry Association also urged its members to act, stating, “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 on October 11, in Bishop’s committee. This kind of ‘fast-tracking’ is unusual and concerning.”

The response from the Outdoor Alliance was even more strongly worded. “The deceptively named ‘National Monument Creation and Protection Act’ would not only end the availability of the Antiquities Act as a meaningful conservation tool in the future but also it would give the President new power to undo existing protections on public lands. Over the 100-plus years that the Antiquities Act has been on the books, it has been instrumental in protecting iconic places for outdoor recreation, from the Grand Canyon and Devils Tower to more recent examples like the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Browns Canyon and Bears Ears.”

Bishop’s new bill proposes only allowing the Antiquities Act to protect discrete, small-scale cultural and historic resource sites, prohibiting use of the Act to protect sensitive landscapes and geographic features like Grand Canyon, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Bears Ears. “The bill also proposes limitations and conditions on the size of national monuments, without regard for the actual size of the area under consideration,” the Access Fund statement continued. “It would also mandate additional approval processes prior to designation (making it more difficult to invoke the Act), and it gives the President the authority to reduce an existing national monument without an act of Congress (which is currently illegal).”

If this bill is passed into law, it could lead to the possible justification of the reduction or rescission of national monuments like Bears Ears. A reduction of Bears Ears National Monument could expose Indian Creek and many other backcountry areas to unmitigated oil and gas development.