Republicans aim to curb Obama's monument designations

While the Obama administration celebrated naming three new national monuments on Thursday, the Republican-led Congress signaled it could move to limit the president’s authority to designate large swaths of land unilaterally under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Obama has used the Antiquities Act 16 times to declare public land as national monuments, ranking him above all other presidents since the law was enacted except for Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, who designated 18 national monuments, and Bill Clinton, who named 21. But many Republicans believe Obama’s frequent designations constitute a federal land grab executed without local input. The designation, they say, increases federal regulations and restrictions and will impact ranchers and hinder full recreational use of the land. But Republican lawmakers believe Congress, or at least the public, should have a say in which areas of the United States are turned into national monuments. Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation to curb unilateral executive authority they say Obama has abused. “President Obama has sidelined the American public and bulldozed transparency by proclaiming three new national monuments through executive fiat,” House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said Thursday. Rep. Raúl Labrador and Sen. Mike Crapo, both Republicans from Idaho have introduced legislation that would require Congress and affected state legislatures to approve new monument designations. Crapo and Labrador authored the bill in anticipation of Obama's designation of close to 700,000 acres of Idaho’s Boulder-White Clouds area as a national monument. “It’s on the short list,” a Republican aide told the Washington Examiner. Labrador and Crapo oppose the move and the local community appears divided on whether it wants the designation. Local ranchers fear they will no longer be able to use the land if it is declared a national monument, which would make it easier for the federal government to prohibit grazing. “They're going to force us out of business,” Doug Baker, whose cattle graze on the land, said in a video posted on a site opposed to the national monument designation. Recreational use would also be limited under a national monument designation, with restrictions on the use of motorized vehicles and even mountain bikes, say opponents. Last year, Bishop introduced and passed legislation in the House to update the Antiquities Act so that large-scale national monument declarations would first require environmental and economic impact studies. Aides say Bishop is likely to introduce the bill again this year and it stands a much better chance of passage, now that Republicans control the Senate Majority. “It’s a priority for the committee,” an aide said...more

I'll say it again...Why didn't the Republicans move this when they controlled both Houses of Congress and the White House?  Will they really push this if they control all three after 2016?

Can't help but notice all these proposals are about future designations.  Congress can also amend any existing designations.  Will they offer any relief to those who are already suffering under this designation?