On Monday, December 05, 2016, Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) participated in a series of conversations with different members of President-Elect Donald Trump’s transition team to discuss potential policy options for the new administration and Department of the Interior.
The discussions included potential reactions to a Bears Ears National Monument designation. Following the meetings, Rep. Bishop released the following statement:
“Any monument designation that lacks local support, is excessive, or violates the terms of the Antiquities Act will be scrutinized and is easier to abolish. Today’s discussions with the transition team examined options for the incoming administration. The talks were positive and encouraging.”
The Antiquities Act of 1906 empowers the president to unilaterally declare federally owned land to be a national monument. That land must contain an antiquity, “be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected,” and the declaration must be protecting an antiquity from imminent danger. The Act does not prohibit a president from abolishing or modifying the terms of a previously declared monument which has not been ratified by Congress.
