Grijalva: Chairman Bishop's Dismissal of Native American Antiquities as “Bull Crap” Highlights Republican “Go Extinct” Attitude

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop earlier today dismissed the historical value of Native American artifacts as a basis for establishing national monuments, as first reported by Greenwire in a story about President Obama’s designation of three new national monuments:

"There is nothing that Obama did today that had anything to do with an antiquity," Bishop said. "There are criteria for using the act. There is nothing Obama announced that had anything to do with the criteria."

When asked about the Native American artifacts at the Basin and Range National Monument site in Nevada, including cave paintings, he said, "Ah, bull crap. That's not an antiquity."

Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement in response.

“The natural and cultural resources protected by these designations are, in fact, antiques; species and trees and rocks and cave paintings and beautiful landscapes are all quite old.  We want them to remain antique, House Republicans want them to become extinct.”

Grijalva thanked and congratulated Obama earlier today for his designations of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California, Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas and Basin and Range National Monument in Nevada.

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