DEFAZIO, GRIJALVA LEAD 109 DEMOCRATS IN URGING INTERIOR TO CONSERVE NATIONAL TREASURES USING ANTIQUITIES ACT

Republican Congress has failed to protect America’s treasured landscapes

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released a letter co-signed by 109 House Democrats urging Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to protect and conserve national treasures under the Antiquities Act. The letter was sent on the same day that Sec. Jewell will host a community meeting in New Mexico to discuss protecting the Organ Mountains.

In the letter, the members write, “In today’s deeply partisan environment, it’s becoming nearly impossible for Congress to make critical conservation decisions. The 112^th Congress was the first Congress in 40 years that failed to permanently protect any of America’s treasured landscapes. The current Congress is on a path to repeat that abysmal record.”

The House Natural Resources Committee has only held hearings on eight of 37 land designation proposals offered in the 113^th Congress. Only one has passed the House. With only 121 legislative days scheduled for 2014, the time to act is running out.

In April 2013, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held a hearing on a suite of bills designed to gut Presidential authority to designate new wilderness, National Parks, and National Monuments outlined in the Antiquities Act. Congressional Gateway communities throughout the country benefit from Federal conservation efforts -- resources are protected, visitor experience is enhanced, and local economies are enhanced. At National Parks alone, visitors spend more than $35 million per day.

A copy of the letter and a list of signatories is available below. You can also find the letter here.

Brief Facts/Information on the Antiquities Act:

Sixteen of the 19 Presidentssince 1906 created 137 monuments, including the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Zion, Olympic, the Statue of Liberty, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

President Franklin Roosevelt used his authority the most often—on 28 occasions.

President George W. Bush proclaimed the most monument acreage, virtually all in marine areas, including the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, with approximately 89 million acres; the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, with 60.9 million acres; the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, with 55.6 million acres; and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, with 8.6 million acres. The latter three areas form the largest protected ocean area in the world.

Out of the 137 Monuments created since 1906, 32 have been redesignated as National Parks.

Three Presidents had the opportunity to use the Antiquities Act but chose not to (Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan & George H.W. Bush).

Although President Reagan was one of three Presidents not to use the Antiquities Act, he signed 43 wilderness bills into law designating a net total of 10.6 million acres.

During the dedication ceremony of the new National Geographic Headquarters, President Reagan said, “What is a conservative after all but one who conserves, one who is committed to protecting and holding close the things by which we live…. And we want to protect and conserve the land on which we live — our countryside, our rivers and mountains, our plains and meadows and forests. This is our patrimony. This is what we leave to our children. And our great moral responsibility is to leave it to them either as we found it or better than we found it.” -- June 19, 1984

January 24, 2014

The Honorable Sally Jewell, Secretary
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240

Dear Secretary Jewell:

We are writing in response to your recent comments about the Antiquities Act and your ongoing commitment to conservation and historic preservation on Federal land. Only Congress has the authority to establish National Parks, Forests, and wilderness areas, but there is a long tradition of the conservation initiatives spearheaded by the President. Since the 1906 passage of the Antiquities Act, Presidents have had the authority to establish National Monuments. This is an important tool that has led to the protection of some our most iconic landscapes and valuable cultural resources, including the Grand Canyon and the recently enacted Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument. Some initiatives require Presidential leadership and should not be bogged down by political infighting and paralysis, increasingly common characteristics of Congress.

In today’s deeply partisan environment, it’s becoming nearly impossible for Congress to make critical conservation decisions. The 112^th Congress was the first Congress in 40 years that failed to permanently protect any of America’s treasured landscapes. The current Congress is on a path to repeat that abysmal record. There are 37 land designation bills sitting before Congress that have broad public support. Unfortunately, Congress is failing to act. The House Natural Resources Committee has only held hearings on 8 of these proposals and only one has moved beyond markup and passed the House. With only 121 legislative days scheduled for 2014, the time to act is running out. Many of these proposals are excellent candidates for an Antiquities Act designation by the President.

On April 16, 2013, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held a hearing on a suite of bills designed to dilute the Presidential authority outlined in the Antiquities Act. The theme of the hearing was overreach with a strong emphasis placed on the need to make the National Monument process more inclusive by requiring Congressional approval. As you know, Congress already has the opportunity to take the lead but is choosing to shun this role. Conservation and historic preservation initiatives with broad public support should not have to be sidelined or stalled because of political paralysis. Gateway communities throughout the country benefit from Federal conservation efforts; resources are protected, visitor experience is enhanced, and local economies are enhanced. At National Parks alone, visitors spend more than $35 million per day. Our most significant resources deserve our attention.

Again, we are encouraged by your enthusiasm, and we look forward to your leadership to help identify appropriate sites for conservation and preservation. When Congress is unable to advance conservation legislation, the importance of the Antiquities Act is increasingly apparent.

Sincerely,

Peter DeFazio

Raul Grijalva

Rush Holt

Grace Napolitano

Alan Lowenthal

Betty McCollum

Keith Ellison

Jim Moran

Jared Huffman

Sander Levin

Jerrold Nadler

Lucille Roybal-Allard

Tony Cardenas

Ben Ray Lujan

Ted Deutch

Jim McGovern

Sam Farr

Tim Walz

Nicky Tsongas

Bobby Scott

Gerry Connolly

Barbara Lee

Carolyn B. Maloney

John Conyers

Mike Thompson (CA)

Mike Honda

Suzan Del Bene

Bill Keating

David Cicilline

Mike Quigley

Gwen Moore

Fredericka Wilson

Jim Costa

Diana DeGette

Lois Capps

Bennie Thompson (MS)

Jared Polis

Paul Tonko

Henry Waxman

Anna G. Eshoo

Kathy Castor

Steve Israel

Zoe Lofgren

Marcia Fudge

Adam Schiff

Dan Lipinski

Suzanne Bonamici

Matt Cartwright

Judy Chu

Lujan Grisham

Maxine Waters

John B. Larson

Dina Titus

Lloyd Doggett

Jerry McNerney

Rick Larsen

Cheri Bustos

Rosa DeLauro

Allyson. Y. Schwartz

Jose Serrano

Beto O'Rourke

Earl Blumenauer

David Price

Jim McDermott

Lois Frankel

Katherine Clark

Patrick E. Murphy

Adam Smith

Chris Van Hollen

John Lewis

Carol Shea-Porter

Donna Christensen

Mark Pocan

John Sarbanes

Yvette D. Clarke

Mark Takano

Joe Garcia

Steve Cohen

Brad Schneider

John Delaney

Raul Ruiz

Mike Doyle

Doris Matsui

Pete P. Gallego

Alcee L. Hastings

Bruce Braley

Julia Brownley

Jim Langevin

Hank Johnson

Donna F. Edwards

Dan Maffei

Tim Bishop

Ann McLane Kuster

Louise Slaughter

Denny Heck

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

George Miller

Joe Crowley

Frank Pallone, Jr.

Jackie Speier

Elizabeth Esty

Scott Peters

Emanuel Cleaver, II

Michael E. Capuano

Elijah E. Commings

Bobby L. Rush

Ron Kind

Dan Kildee

Bill Foster

Press Contact

Jen Gilbreath (Resources), 202-225-4081