The Pew Charitable Trusts called for an open and transparent review of national monument designations after President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order calling for examination of all such designations of more than 100,000 acres made after 1996.
The Department of the Interior has been charged with reviewing the designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906 and will suggest changes and modifications to it. Under the act, the president is authorized designate national landmarks.
According to the White House, Trump's executive order gives Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke 45 days to provide an interim report to the president, through the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the assistant to the president for economic policy, the assistant to the president for domestic policy, and the chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality.
The review could lead to changes to monument designations by former president Barack Obama but also by George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, said the Washington Post.
"The president's call for an Interior Department review of monuments proclaimed since 1996 is unprecedented," said Tom Wathen, vice president of Pew's environment Americas initiative.
"That's why it's vitally important that the administration engage in an open and transparent process; that it encourage citizen input about the influence of monuments on nearby communities; and that it listen to the views of sportsmen, scientists, business leaders, Native Americans, conservationists, recreational users, and members of the faith community who are closely tied to these protected areas."
According to the Post, Trump was particularly interested in the 1.35-million-acre national monument Obama declared in December in Utah, Bears Ears. The president also indicated that he wanted the governors in such national monument areas to have to last say in how those lands are managed.
The Bears Ears designation drew the ire of Utah's Sen. Orrin Hatch, who charged that Obama ignored the work done by local residents and public officials to protect the area.
The Pew Charitable Trust is a global non-government organization with the goal of improving public policy through analysis, informing the public through data that identifies issues and trends, and encourage democratic participation and strong communities, according to its website.
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