Sessions Votes to Stop Presidential Overreach on Federal Lands

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, today released the following statement regarding House passage of H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act

“Under a century-old law called the Antiquities Act, presidents have the sole authority to designate large tracts of land as national monuments without any input from the American people. Unfortunately, the law has been misused at times for political purposes and has prohibited the viable use of land for recreation, job creation, clean energy production, and economic growth. 

“In order to prevent an abuse of power and provide transparency, the House approved a common sense bill today to prevent any president from unilaterally locking up federal lands without the support of local communities. This bill will send the president a simple message: before unilaterally designating vast areas of land off-limits, the local community should have a voice in the process.” 

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Created:
Mar 26, 2014