Congressman Sam Farr released a statement criticizing a Republican House bill to remove the president’s ability to set aside public lands as national monuments.
Republican Congressmen Rob Bishop and Steve Daines introduced the bill to limit the president’s power to establish large swaths of land as national monuments. They argued in their legislation that environmental and public reviews should be conducted for any proposals of more than 5,000 acres.
The following is the statement from Farr, a Democrat representing San Benito County:
“Since Theodore Roosevelt, Presidents have used the Antiquities Act to preserve such iconic American places as the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, or in my district Pinnacles National Park, Fort Ord National Monument and the California Coastal National Monument. Without that foresight, we would have lost these special places forever – destroying the unparalleled beauty of their landscape and losing part of our national cultural heritage. Generations of Americans would have been denied life-changing experiences like gazing out over the vast emptiness of the Grand Canyon or watching a California condor soar high above the volcanic spires of Pinnacles.
“This bill does more than just threaten that legacy; it also threatens our economy. Since President Theodore Roosevelt established Pinnacles National Monument in 1908, millions of people have been drawn to our region of California. Now that it is a national park, even more visitors have come to see the park, injecting needed dollars into local economies. The park, along with the two other national monuments, plays an integral role in our economy and support jobs throughout the Central Coast. For every one dollar we invest in the national parks system, we see a return of $10 to local economies. With that high of a rate of return, the Antiquities Act may be one of the greatest jobs bills ever passed by Congress.
“There is nothing more uniquely American than our national park system. I would encourage my Republican colleagues to join with the majority of Americans who support increased protection of public lands. Let’s reinvest in preserving our country’s natural treasures for future generations to enjoy and prosper from.”
