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Time to Replace the Antiquities Act?

by E. Calvin Beisner

December 5, 2017

Cliff formations in Bears Ears National Monument (Source: U.S. Forest Service)

Yesterday President Donald Trump announced 2 million acres of reductions in the size of two tracts of land—Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante, set aside by President Obama as national monuments under the 111-year-old Antiquities Act. Predictably, Green lobbyists are up in arms. Ordinary citizens—not so much. Conservatives are celebrating, particularly because Trump’s action is a move back toward federalism.

As Shawn Regan writes in National Review, the act “allows presidents to unilaterally set aside federal lands to protect objects of historical, cultural, or scientific significance. The act was designed mainly to prevent looting of Indian artifacts, and designations made under it were to be confined to ‘the smallest area compatible with proper care and management’ of the protected objects.” But the act “has been abused as a large-scale conservation policy issued by presidential proclamation. Since 1996, both Republican and Democratic presidents have used it to set aside more than 11 million acres of land, as well as about 760 million acres of ocean as marine monuments. President Barack Obama, no stranger to executive authority, used the act to create more national monuments than any other president.” Presidents have acted largely in disregard of the wishes of the citizens, legislatures, and governors of the affected states.

Regan argues that now would be a great time for Congress to repeal and replace the Antiquities Act with one that would show greater respect to our federal system, returning control of public lands to the most local levels possible—and indeed, privatizing much public land. We agree.

Dated: December 5, 2017

Tagged With: Antiquities Act, Bears Ears, Donald Trump, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Shawn Regan
Filed Under: Bridging Humanity and the Environment, Land Use, Politics & Law

About E. Calvin Beisner

Dr. Beisner is Founder and National Spokesman of The Cornwall Alliance; former Associate Professor of Historical Theology & Social Ethics, at Knox Theological Seminary, and of Interdisciplinary Studies, at Covenant College; and author of “Where Garden Meets Wilderness: Evangelical Entry into the Environmental Debate” and “Prospects for Growth: A Biblical View of Population, Resources, and the Future.”

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Future Speaking Engagements

June 18-21, 2025–Dallas, TX

Cornwall Alliance will be a host of the Association of Classical Christian Schools’ (ACCS) annual Repairing the Ruins conference in Dallas, TX, and will have an exhibit booth.

Details and registration can be found HERE.

September 19-20–Arlington, VA

Dr Beisner will represent the Cornwall Alliance at the fall meeting of the Philadelphia Society and will have a literature table.

Attendance is for Society members and invited guests only. To inquire about an invitation, email Dr. Cal Beisner: Calvin@cornwallalliance.org.

September 26-27– Lynchburg, VA

Dr. Beisner will be speaking at the Christian Education Initiative Annual Summit, “Advancing Christ’s Kingdom Through Biblical Worldview Education.” 

Details and registration can be found HERE.

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