Republicans should read “America’s Great Outdoors” report

“There was other damage the Senate must repair. One amendment would prevent the Bureau of Land Management from recommending permanent wilderness protections for public land. The president’s authority to designate new national monuments under the Antiquities Act survived by a slim margin, but some Republicans vowed to challenge that authority later this year.

In a perfect world this report would be required reading among House Republicans. Sadly, their headlong dash to weaken the nation’s environmental protections would appear to leave them little time for it.”  Editorial – The New York Times

Republican assault on Antiquities Act is ideology run amok

“Squashing the Antiquities Act, an amazingly effective conservation law that presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush have used to protect great American treasures, has nothing to do with getting the federal government’s fiscal house in order. The cost of studying, proposing, designating, and administering national monuments doesn’t amount to a raindrop in a hurricane.

No, Labrador’s proposal is simply reactionary ideology run amok. There is no room in such a barren view of the world for the traditional conservative ethic of saving America’s heritage–cultural and natural–to respect what our ancestors set aside for us and to inspire, educate, and enlighten future generations.”  Read more – The Green Conservative

No more national monuments?

“A stench of anti-environmental extremism hangs over the new Congress, particularly the U.S. House of Representatives.

This legislation must not pass. National forests and Bureau of Land Management lands are for compromising about, and allowing ‘job-creating activities’ that create far fewer jobs than outdoor recreation.

National parks and national monuments must remain inviolate.”  Opinion – SeattlePI

A transparent approach to designating national monuments

“Now, whether it was in reaction to that criticism, or part of the plan all along, the topic of national monuments came up often during the 51 listening sessions the administration held last year to gather input for the resulting America’s Great Outdoors report. According to that report, ‘(D)uring listening sessions, strong support was voiced for the designation of unique places as national monuments as an important way to preserve critical elements of the American landscape and cultural heritage.'”  Read more – National Parks Traveler