02.19.15

Natural Resources Ranking Member Grijalva Statement on President Obama’s Designation of Three New National Monuments

Tucson, Ariz. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on today’s presidential designation of three new national monuments.

“Conserving our public lands and recognizing milestones in our nation’s history are among every president’s greatest responsibilities and proudest achievements. President Obama acted in the best spirit of that tradition today when he designated Pullman Historic Chicago District, Browns Canyon, and Honouliuli Internment Camp national monuments.

“Our wide open spaces and our historic sites need just as much protection today as they did the day the Antiquities Act was signed into law in 1906. President Obama, no less than President Roosevelt, understands the great public service presidents perform when they conserve those open spaces and those historic sites for the future. No fewer than nineteen presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, have used the Antiquities Act to protect the national treasures found on our federal lands, and many more will do so in the future. The American people demand nothing less.

“Despite the best efforts of an anti-conservation congressional majority, the American people still see more than dollars and cents when they look across the prairie, or into the Mountain West, or back into the pages of our shared history. They see the same beauty that our forefathers saw – a beauty that we dare not throw away in the name of today’s bottom line. We cannot sustain an economy based on taking everything, leaving nothing and demanding that taxpayers foot the bill for private profits. I share the American people’s vision of protected landscapes, well-preserved historical sites and monuments, and a thriving federal lands system accessible to every American who comes to enjoy rather than exploit. So does President Obama. Today I’m proud to stand with him in welcoming these additions to our public lands and look forward to hearing the many success stories they have ahead of them.”