Friday, June 02, 2017

FEDERAL LANDS and NATIONAL MONUMENTS: Interior Dept. Wants to Hear from You!

For more than a century, the President of the United States has had the power to unilaterally designate land as a National Monument without the consent of Congress, local governments or affected citizens.
Presidents from both parties have used the power of the Act to designate hundreds of thousands of acres, and in some cases millions of acres, at a time.  Since 1906, 145 national monuments have been designated for federal protection.
This scale of designation goes far beyond the executive authority that Congress originally intended. Such abuse restricts or even prohibits economic opportunity and removes decision making from the states and private citizens. These designations have affected water rights, grazing rights and access to state and private lands.
Environmental groups are claiming this review is the first step to closing National Monuments.  This is an overreaction of monumental proportions!
This is your chance to weigh in.  Tell President Trump and DOI Secretary Zinke about the impacts of the individual monument designation and the hardships posed on farmers and ranchers and the rural economy.
The Department of the Interior has set a deadline of July 10, 2017, for written comments to be filed in the docket.
Click here to view the Federal Register notice.
Click here to view the AFBF factsheet on national mounments and the Antiquities Act.

Any information (e.g., personal or contact) you provide on this comment form may be publicly disclosed and searchable on the web.
Customizing your letter with a personal message will have even greater impact. Suggestions on what to write to the Department of the Interior:
  • How would your community and local economy be affected?
  • Do these monument designations and executive actions lead to devastating reductions in economic activity and the loss of jobs in resource-dependent communities?
  • How does the Antiquities Act affect your farm or ranch?
Complete the information in the boxes below, then click "TAKE ACTION NOW" to send your message to DOI...

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