In a bid to halt future presidents from expanding national monuments in Nevada, legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) would require congressional approval before public lands could be designated as monuments by executive authority.
Amodei and Heller introduced the Nevada Land Sovereignty Act, H.R. 243 and S. 22, in response to President Barack Obama placing restrictions on more than 1 million acres of public land in Nevada using provisions of the American Antiquities Act of 1906. That act allows presidents to protect natural, historical and cultural areas as national monuments.
Most recently, Obama designated the Gold Butte area in southeastern Nevada as a national monument.
“Whether you agree with our proposals or not, I have always supported a public and transparent process which includes input from interest groups, local communities and elected representatives,” Amodei said. “Unlike all of our Nevada lands bills that allow stakeholders an opportunity to voice their concerns and ultimately reach a consensus agreement that achieves bipartisan support, the Obama administration has repeatedly bypassed Congress and local input.”
Amodei added that the bill simply ensures the views of local stakeholders are considered.
The executive branch exercised executive action last month to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of local, public land in Nevada, Heller noted.
“No matter which political party is occupying the White House, these types of unilateral federal land grabs by the executive branch should not be allowed,” Heller said.
“Public input and local support remain critical to the decision-making process of federal land designations. This legislation prevents actions like last month’s Gold Butte land grab from occurring without input from Congress and local officials,” he added.