Real-estate-developer-in-chief Donald Trump’s executive order just told the Department of the Interior to review at least 22 national monuments created by Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. That’s not only a brazen attack on the 111-year-old Antiquities Act under which those monuments were designated but also a barefaced betrayal of the American people.
Do I really need to list all the reasons why attacking our national monuments is a terrible idea? Maybe some people don’t realize how many national parks, such as the Grand Canyon, were originally protected as national monuments. Or that of the 640 million acres of public land managed by the federal government in the 50 states, only about 12 million are protected as national monuments. Or that protecting public lands from drilling, mining, and other exploitation improves local economies through tourism and outdoor recreation, while also preserving precious natural and cultural legacies? Or that many of these lands are already stressed by climate change (a fact not lost on the more than 200,000 people who turned out for last weekend’s Peoples Climate March)?
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