...A new analysis conducted by the Coalition for Self-Government in the West shows that recent presidents are breaking from historical norms and placing significantly more land under national monument status than their predecessors. Since the Antiquities Act was passed in 1906, 16 presidents have used executive authority under the Antiquities Act to create or enlarge national monuments. With the stroke of a pen, presidents have set aside areas of less than an acre to over 280 million acres. Although there have been fluctuations in the size of national monument designations and expansions over the past 111 years, the last 40 years have seen a significant hike in the amounts of land and water being designated.
In a comparison of all 16 presidential administrations that have utilized the Antiquities Act, average designations and expansions under the last eight administrations were 89 times larger than those of the first eight. These expansive designations are mind-boggling. Instead of designating tens of thousands of acres, recent presidents are now setting aside areas in the hundreds of millions.
Ulterior motives are largely pushing this trend. The designation process — instead of focusing on protecting and preserving historic sites and scientific objects as outlined in the Antiquities Act — is driven by political gamesmanship, climate change, presidential legacies, corporate interests and outdoor recreation. No one wins when these motivations force expansive designations — not local economies, and not our nation’s historic and cultural resources.
...The Trump administration has a historic opportunity to place a check on the trend of expansive national monuments and to “right-size” the egregious misuses of the Antiquities Act. Its review of previous designations was long overdue, and that review can serve as a stark warning for future presidents to judiciously employ their authority under the act...
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