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LaMalfa Supports Review of National Monument Designations

April 27, 2017

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Department of Interior (DOI) to review national monument designations made during the last 20 years under the Antiquities Act.

LaMalfa said: "I fully support the President's decision to review national monuments that had been recklessly expanded under the Obama Administration. Downsizing many of these monuments will help the Department of Interior to better manage our federal lands and allow land owners to better use their own private land. It is time to reform the Antiquities Act and return the power to designate and expand national monuments back to Congress. I look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Zinke to increase access to public lands and boost rural economies."

Signed into law by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906, The Antiquities Act was created to allow the President to designate certain valuable public natural areas as federally protected national monuments. The Act specifically states that monuments are to be confined to the smallest possible area that allows for proper care and protection of the land. In recent years, new monument designations have ignored this instruction and grown dramatically. The last two Administrations have together added nearly 40 times more acreage than all other President's combined. President Bush added 214,800,000 acres and President Obama added 554,590,000 acres – combining for a total of 769,390,000 acres. The President's Executive Order directs DOI to review the use of the Antiquities Act in the last 20 years to determine where downsizing may be appropriate.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.