September 6, 2016 — President Obama likely isn’t finished using his authority to unilaterally protect land and water as national monuments.
Environmentalists are hoping that Obama will continue his string of monument designations in his final months in office, following the footsteps of many of his predecessors who used the end of their presidencies for major land protections.
Conservationists hope Obama will set aside a massive area in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod, a large swath of land in Utah that American Indian tribes believe to be sacred, an area upstream of the Grand Canyon that’s been eyed for uranium mining and a mountain range near El Paso, Texas, among other locations.
With Congress gridlocked and unable to pass major legislation regarding public lands, greens, Democrats and local advocates near the proposed monuments are calling on Obama to keep bypassing Congress to protect land and water areas.
But nearly every proposal to protect an area from various types of harm and development carries opposition from some locals and industries whose activities could be curtailed or stopped.
Republicans also want to stop Obama and repeal the 1906 Antiquities Act, which the president has used to protect lands.
They say Obama is stretching the law with his monument designations to take unilateral action when Congress will not help, like he has on immigration and climate change.