Heritage Foundation energy and environment expert Nick Loris had the following to say today after Pres. Trump announced that he would be shrinking the Bears Ears National Monument and stemming further abuses of the Antiquities Act. The Bears Ears National Monument was originally created by the Obama administration and measured 1.35 million acres:

 

“Antiquities designations have stripped economic opportunities away from communities. Whether the issue is logging, recreation, conservation, or energy development, these decisions should be made at the local level, not from Washington. President Trump’s decision today is the direct result of Interior Secretary Zinke taking the time to listen to states, private citizens, tribes and local interests. For more than a century, the president has had the power to unilaterally designate land as a national monument, without input from Congress or impacted states. Although the law states that the president must limit the designation to the ‘smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected’ - President Obama’s Bears Ears designation was 1.35 million acres. For far too long antiquities designations have exceeded their statutory limitations and Trump is right to shrink this abuse of power. Now it’s time for Congress to step up and reform the law.”