Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Western Caucus hosted a forum titled, “Abuses of the Antiquities Act and Impacts on Landowners.” The forum was led by Vice Chair Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and included Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), and Representatives Cliff Bentz (OR-02) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01).

“In its latest resource management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the Bureau of Land Management has weaponized 'conservation' to cut out state and local voices and control our lands and resources," said Vice Chair Maloy. "Locals have been fighting for nearly 30 years to have a heeded voice in managing a monument that, at the time of proclamation, was promised to be friendly to local use. We can and need to do better.”

“National monuments are intended to preserve historic and prehistoric structures or land of cultural significance with the smallest parcel of land to achieve that goal,” said Chairman Newhouse. “We are not opposed to National Monuments – such as Devil’s Tower in Wyoming or Scotts Bluff in Nebraska – that are true to the original law’s intent. Instead, what we’ve seen is a gross misuse of executive power to prevent land from achieving its resource potential and being locked up for multiple uses. This should not be the case. As Chairman of the Western Caucus, I’ll continue to work tirelessly to ensure the Antiquities Act isn’t abused by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. meeting an extreme agenda to the detriment of our rural communities across the nation.”

“I grew up on a cattle ranch and a number of my brothers still are involved in the ranching business so we know what a grazing permit it, we know what happens to that type of economic element when abuse of the Antiquities Act occurs," said Rep. Bentz. "The President comes in, he or she writes down their purpose for the land and then everything must follow according to whatever the President decides that purpose should be. That's not the democratic way of handling things and it's not the best thing for the land."

“Congress must preserve the use of federal lands for responsible recreational, agricultural and energy use,” said Representative Miller-Meeks, M.D. “For years, the Obama and Biden-Harris Administrations used the Antiquities Act to institutionalize massive executive overreach, seizing acres and acres of land with impunity. In some congressional districts, almost 80% of rural land is set aside as public or federal land. The Congressional Oversight of the Antiquities Act would curb this executive power grab and require the administration to consult Congress before making rash decisions about our federal lands.”

These Members heard from policy experts who highlighted the impacts on landowners, particularly in the states of Utah and New Mexico, from monument designations through the Antiquities Act. The panelists included:

• Ms. Megan Jenkins, Pacific Legal Foundation
• Mr. Leland Pollock, County Commissioner, Garfield County, Utah
• Ms. Jenifer Jones (NM-32), State Representative

Click here to watch the forum.