A group of legislators has introduced the Congressional Oversight of the Antiquities Act in an attempt to reduce the number of national monuments designated by the president.
The bill would require congressional approval for a monument to be designated; currently, the president has the sole authority to designate national monuments.
“The text of the Antiquities Act was clear—to protect significant archaeological and historic sites, but to do so with discretion and to ensure that the designated area was confined to the smallest size necessary for their protection,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a sponsor of the Senate companion legislation, said in a news release.
“Regrettably, we have seen designations that far exceed this directive, impacting millions of acres and the lives of many in the West.”
The bill would require congressional approval of a proposed monument within six months or before the end of the last session of Congress—whichever comes first. If unapproved by Congress, a monument could not be reviewed for designation for the next 25 years.
