National Monuments and the Antiquities Act: Recent Designations and Issues (CRS Report for Congress, RL30528)

This report addresses the authority of the President to create national monuments on federal lands under the Antiquities Act of 1906. It discusses the benefits of the Act and those aspects of the Act that have been controversial, including the size and types of resources protected; the level of and types of threat to designated areas; effects of proclamations on land uses; consistency of the Act with the withdrawal, public participation, and environmental review aspects of other laws; monument management by agencies other than the National Park Service (NPS); and the constitutionality of the Act. It also provides background on the 13 monuments President Clinton created or enlarged by proclamation to date, and discusses the land uses permitted within these monuments. The report discusses possible future monument designations and issues and legislative activity related to presidential designation of monuments. This report will be updated as events may require.