December 4, 2017 — The following was released by the House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop:

Panic is gripping the Left. The President of the United States apparently has the audacity to enforce the Antiquities Act as it is written: he dares to confine monuments “to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”

President Trump has rightsized Bears Ears (BENM) and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, and now special interest groups will again attempt to lie, distort and, misrepresent their way to another ill-gotten political victory at the expense of local communities.

Here’s what they’ll say, and here’s why they’re wrong.

MYTH:  The President’s actions are illegal.

• FACT: False. Propagators of this particular myth put themselves in the absurd position of claiming that one unilateral presidential action can bind every successor in perpetuity. If this seems more reminiscent of an autocracy than a constitutional democracy responsive to the demands of the people, that’s because it is. Not only canpresidents scale back monuments, they have done so on at least 18 other occasions. Two examples: President Taft reduced his own monument by 89% and Woodrow Wilson shrank Teddy Roosevelt’s by 50%.

MYTH: The President’s actions are unpopular.

• FACT: Mischaracterization. Unpopular with whom? While many people, separated from the consequences, may support the monuments, the affected communities have been staunchly opposed to excessively large designations. For example in BENM, the San Juan County Commission, the state legislature, the local chapter of the Navajo Nation, the Governor, and every member of the state’s congressional delegation fought the original designation tooth and nail.

MYTH: The President’s actions represent another broken promise to tribes.

• FACT: Wrong. It’s important to note that tribal support for the monument was not unanimous. Regardless, the original BENM proclamation did not bestow legal co-management, nor did it ever have the authority to do so. The council created by Obama’s designation had only an advisory role and no official decision-making power. Congress will act to provide legally enforceable tribal co-management.

MYTH: The President’s actions are an attack on our country’s treasured national parks.

• FACT: Not true. Attempts to blur the distinctions between national monuments and national parks are fear-mongering lies. No national parks were under review and no national parks were reduced. National monuments and parks are unrelated classifications.

MYTH: The President’s actions will hurt local economies.

• FACT: Incorrect. Most monuments, which are created without congressional consultation, lack the infrastructure to support public access and a robust tourism economy, while simultaneously stifling traditional economic uses. The Grand Staircase national monument designation, for example, resulted in a $9M loss to the local economy, according to a study conducted by Utah State University.

MYTH: The President’s actions are a boondoggle for the oil and gas industry.

• FACT: Wrong. The land in question remains in federal ownership and subject to the same rigorous environmental reviews all such land undergoes. In any case, there really aren’t economically recoverable oil and gas resources in BENM. Framing this debate as energy vs. protection may be a useful cudgel for litigation activists, but that doesn’t make it accurate.

MYTH: The President’s actions will harm conservation in the area.

• FACT: Way off. The Antiquities Act was never meant to be a landscape conservation tool. It was designed to protect antiquities. President Trump’s proclamation maintains protections for bona fide antiquities while respecting traditional land uses. These communities, more attached to the land than anyone, have been maintaining the land for generations.

MYTH: The President’s actions will leave antiquities and resources without any protections.

FACT: Nope. Everyone is concerned about looting and desecration of antiquities or sensitive areas. Here’s a novel idea: rather than focusing exclusively on these particular lands, what if we protected all antiquities on federal lands? Great idea, right? In fact, Congress has already done just that. In 1979 Congress passed the Archaeological Resources Protection of Act (ARPA). ARPA gave the federal government the power to impose severe fines and even imprisonment for looting. It protects ALL federal lands, with or without monument designation.

Learn more about the House Committee on Natural Resources by visiting their site here.