[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 26, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENSURING PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS ACT
(Mr. DAINES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, for generations, Montanans have been
dedicated to stewardship of our lands. Montanans know how to best
preserve and protect these lands, so that future generations can enjoy
them.
That is why so many Montanans were upset by Interior Secretary Sally
Jewell's recent comments inferring that the President would take action
and unilaterally designate new lands as national monuments under the
Antiquities Act.
Comments like these concern Montanans, who recall recent efforts by
the Department of the Interior to designate millions of acres along the
Hi-Line as a national monument without local involvement. This
unilateral action is unacceptable to the people of my State.
That is why I am proud to support the Ensuring Public Involvement in
the Creation of National Monuments Act, which requires public
participation and local support before the President can make any new
monument designations.
The American people deserve a voice in the monument designation
process, and I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this
commonsense bill.
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