February 20, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
245+ organizations oppose any attempts to repeal or undermine the Antiquities Act – 2.20.25
Support for land and water conservation tool unwavering in the face of legislative attacks
Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Kris Deutschman, Chief Communications Officer, Conservation Lands Foundation; (916) 425-7174; kris@conservationlands.org
Washington, DC – Today, over 245 organizations submitted a letter to members of Congress, strongly urging members to oppose any legislative attempts to repeal or undermine the 1906 Antiquities Act. This includes S.220/H.R.521 recently introduced by Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Representatives Celeste Maloy of Utah and Mark Amodei of Nevada, or other attempts to repeal protections for existing parks and monuments. The letter and a list of organizations can be found here. Select quotes can be found below.
“National Monuments enjoy broad bipartisan support and are overwhelmingly popular with Utahns and Americans. Unfortunately, during the early days of a new Congress, Utah politicians are leading the charge and renewing their long-running attacks on one of the most important and successful conservation tools: the Antiquities Act,” said Travis Hammill, DC Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “We’re thrilled to see such a wide range of organizations and supporters from across the country joining together to ensure this legislation has no chance of becoming law.”
“For over a century, the Antiquities Act has been a crucial bipartisan tool for protecting public lands, especially in times when gridlock besets Washington, DC, and it’s tough to get Congress to act. The law has helped conserve wildlife habitats, shield important archaeological sites from harm and tell the stories of traditionally underrepresented groups in our nation’s history. As a result, the law is broadly popular, and the national monuments it has been used to designate are beloved and economically important in numerous American communities. Efforts to repeal the Antiquities Act run counter to the will of the people—especially Western voters, who overwhelmingly support its use and want to see public lands handed down to the next generation in good condition.” said Jordan Schreiber, Government Relations Director for The Wilderness Society.
“This legislation is a direct attack on the rights of Americans to their public lands and the bedrock law that ensures the country’s most treasured natural, cultural, historical, and recreational landscapes can be protected from irreversible development and destruction,” said Chris Hill, Chief Executive Officer of the Conservation Lands Foundation. “Allowing people in temporary positions to make permanent decisions of this significance for the future of the American people is dangerous and I urge Congress to reject this legislation and to ensure that the bedrock laws that protect America’s public lands remain intact for the benefit of all Americans today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.”
“The Antiquities Act has made it possible for the diverse histories of all American and pre-American cultures to be preserved for future generations to learn from and enjoy,” said Olivia Juarez, Public Land Program Director for GreenLatinos. “Members of Congress who oppose these misguided bills have the support of the vast majority of Latino voters who embrace our national monuments.”
On January 16, less than one month into the 119th Congress, S.220/H.R.521 were introduced as the initial effort to gut the law that first protected nearly half of our national parks – the Antiquities Act. Members in both chambers have already indicated their intention to advance efforts to repeal protections for existing parks and monuments – with the House even proposing to make it easier to dispose of our public lands in the House Rules package.
For more than 100 years, the Antiquities Act has been one of our nation’s most critical conservation tools for preserving our nation’s most important public lands and waters. The sheer diversity of historic, cultural, and natural treasures that have been protected by the Antiquities Act is the reason why hundreds of groups representing sportsmen, cultural heritage organizations, evangelicals, conservation, recreation businesses, historic preservation, and many others all oppose efforts to undermine this vital law.
“The Antiquities Act is one of America’s most important tools for preserving our history, culture, and natural heritage. For over a century, presidents from both parties have used this law to protect iconic places like the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty, ensuring that these treasures remain accessible to all Americans,” said Janessa Goldbeck, US Marine Corps Veteran and CEO of Vet Voice Foundation. “National monuments strengthen our communities and bolster local economies. These designations create jobs, support small businesses, and provide low-cost recreational opportunities for families, hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts. For veterans and military families, these lands offer places to reconnect and find peace. Efforts to undermine the Antiquities Act threaten our ability to preserve these critical sites and ignore the widespread, bipartisan support for protecting America’s public lands. As a veteran, I understand how much these places mean to those who have served. We must remain steadfast in ensuring these lands are protected for future generations to enjoy and benefit from.”
“For more than 100 years, all but three presidents have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to designate special places in the ocean and on land,” said Beth Lowell, Oceana’s Vice President for the United States. “Thanks to the Antiquities Act, presidents have protected the Grand Canyon, the magnificent diversity of underwater canyons and seamounts in New England, and countless other natural and historical treasures. Congress should reject this shortsighted bill that undermines our history of protecting places that are important to our nation.”
Eighteen Presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike, have utilized the Antiquities Act nearly 200 times to create and expand national monuments across the country. Some of the jewels of the National Park Service such as Grand Canyon, Olympic, Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks began as national monuments. Without the Antiquities Act, these magnificent places would not be the protected, world class national parks they are today, parks that are loved and visited by millions of people from around the world every year and which serve as the bedrock of America’s $1.2 trillion dollar outdoor recreation economy.
The American people overwhelmingly oppose efforts to block establishment of new parks and repeal protections for the places they love. Per Colorado College’s 2024 Conservation in the West Poll, 85% of Westerners support creating new national parks and monuments to protect historic sites and areas for recreation. And a 2022 poll revealed that New Englanders are increasingly concerned about ocean health, with more than 80% of respondents favoring the establishment of permanently protected areas in the ocean to help address key issues. Congress should listen to the American public and work towards making our protected public lands even more inclusive of our nation’s diverse history and cultures. Undermining the Antiquities Act goes against the will of the American public and their support for the establishment of future protected public lands.
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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.
