As part of their anti-enviornment agenda,
extreme right Congressmen are preparing to strip from the Executive the authority to protect natural wonders under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Our heritage from the days of Teddy Roosevelt, the Act allows a president to designate national monuments. Recently
the Current Occupant has exercised the authority thirteen times to protect iconic and environmentally important areas from commercial exploitation. Sixteen presidents from both parties have used the Antiquities Act to protect beautiful landscapes such as Denali
[photos courtesy US Person], Grand Tetons and Arches National Parks.
The legislation introduced by a congressman from Arkansas demonstrates how
out of bounds right- wing Repugnants are. Current polling shows that more than 70% of American voters support efforts to protect our natural heritage, a policy that is assuming even greater importance as the entire planet warms to the point of catastrophic consequences. Irony cannot exist in Washington, DC but it is revealing to note the congressman's website features Denali National Park and Preserve, originally designated a national monument by President Carter in 1978.
The actual supporters of this anti-environment, anti-health legislative agenda are the fossil fuel industries that pour tremendous amounts of money onto politicians to protect their profits. This
obscene purchase of government policy has achieved significant results. Congress did not pass any significant land conservation measures since 2009 until the 113th Congress closed with passage of
several bills languishing on the table, some of them for decades.
