Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend from Washington for yielding and for bringing this bill forward.

We are seeing an abuse of the Antiquities Act where you have got a President using this law to shut off more areas of Federal land to things like energy exploration. That is not what this law was intended to do.

In fact, I think, if you look at the reforms that are included in this law, they are very good and responsible in ensuring that a President still has the ability to designate monuments where appropriate, one in each State for a Presidential term.

If there is some monument that warrants being designated a national monument, that opportunity is still there. You just have to come and talk to Congress.

I know this President has a hard time working with Congress, but we are right here. He talks about he has got a pen and a phone. Pick up the phone, Mr. President.

You can call us, and if it makes sense, we are going to work with you to get it done; but don't abuse the Antiquities Act to go and cordon off Federal land, so that we can't explore for energy and for other great resource needs.

I think it is important that we finally put the brakes on this Presidential land grab that we are seeing.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source