Yucca House National Monument Expansion Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, the Yucca House National Monument is a classic example of how the Antiquities Act is supposed to work.

President Woodrow Wilson designated 9.6 acres as a national monument--I didn't say 9.6 million acres; I said 9.6 acres--in order to protect an ancient American Indian archaeological site, the ruins of a sprawling 600-room pueblo.

That is the real purpose of the Antiquities Act. That is the way it is supposed to be used. It is there to protect small archaeological sites for study and preservation. It is not there to set aside hundreds of square miles of land just because we can.

The site was donated to the United States Government by the landowner and subsequent owners who made available a small amount of additional acreage as artifacts have been discovered.

H.R. 1492, by Congressman Tipton of Colorado, would make a further boundary adjustment of about 160 acres of donated land adjacent to the monument that encompasses additional sites and provides for better public access.

Unlike many recent national monument designations, this one has the strong support of the local communities affected and is focused on preserving actual archaeological sites from antiquity.

This bill should serve as an example for how monument designations or adjustments should be made, always with local collaboration and support. I applaud my friend for his diligent work on this legislation.

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton), the author of this measure.

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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