GOP lawmakers want to strip presidents monument power

By Thomas Burr

| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Apr 16 2013 12:49 pm Updated 7 hours ago

Washington Congressional Republicans on Tuesday pushed legislation to exempt their states including Utah from the presidents power to unilaterally designate national monuments.

A month after President Barack Obama named five new national monuments and on the 105th anniversary of the designation of Utahs first national monument, Natural Bridges critics of the Antiquities Act assailed the law as a way to circumvent locals who are most affected by the action.

"This process has not worked," said Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. "It has been abused."

Bishop led a Natural Resources subcommittee hearing Tuesday on a series of bills three of them from Utah lawmakers - that would prevent a president from using the Antiquities Act to name monuments in certain states without Congress consent or adding other restrictions to the power.

The hearing comes amid Bishops push to bring environmentalists, oil and gas officials, local leaders and other groups to the table to negotiate compromise legislation to divvy up land in Utah for protection or development. There was no mention of such compromise in Tuesdays hearing.

An Idaho member wanted to protect the Gem State; Montanas representative sought an exemption for his state; Nevada wanted in on the deal, too.

"There has got to be a better way of doing this," said freshman Rep. Chris Stewart, a Utah Republican whose bill would spare the state from the presidential power.

Alaska and Wyoming pushed restrictions for their respective states into the law decades ago after presidents used the act to name monuments. Other Western states now want to be able to slip through the same loophole. And there are other attempts to ax the presidents power, too.

In a separate bill, Bishop would require any future monument to undergo rigorous environmental study.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, has legislation to make any White House designation of a monument subject to approval by Congress.