House votes to encourage notice before creation of national monuments

The House voted 408-2 for the bill, which says the president should consult with local residents and notify the state's governor and congressional delegation 60 days before declaring a new national monument - a designation that puts restrictions on an area akin to those in a national park. That notice and consultation could be bypassed, however, if it was not "consistent with the protection" of the proposed monument.

"It's the best we could get," said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., a bill co-sponsor.

The measure, sponsored by Utah Republican Rep. Jim Hansen, is the latest congressional fallout from President Clinton's 1996 creation of the 1.7 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Hansen and other Utah officials were angered that Clinton did not consult them beforehand.

Many Western Republicans say they are nervous about proposals for several possible national monuments, contending they could hamper mining, grazing and logging and bring more tourists to remote areas. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has said he has a "no surprises" policy about new national monuments, but also said he would recommend that Clinton create a monument if an area needed protection and Congress refused to act.

A 1906 law allows a president to create a national monument to protect an area of historic, archaeological or geologic significance. President Roosevelt used it to protect the Grand Canyon before it became a national park; other national monuments include the Statue of Liberty and part of what is now Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Despite the law's loophole, Hansen said it should ensure that local officials know about future national monument plans. "The president may not skip the public participation phase simply because it may take time," Hansen said.

Critics say the measure is useless.

"The bill doesn't really do anything," said Brett Heimov, spokesman for New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, one of two Democrats who voted against the bill.

According to Heimov, Nadler said, 'Why should I vote for a bill that's just going to embarrass the White House?"'

The White House's Office of Management and Budget sent a Memo to the House this week opposing the bill, saying that if it passed, Clinton's senior advisors would recommend a veto. The memo said the measure "would undermine the president's authority to move decisively to protect and preserve the nation's treasures for future generations."

"I think it is outrageous that they oppose this legislation at a time they are supposedly advocating for public participation in these processes," said Walden, who opposes a proposal to create a national monument in southeastern Oregon to protect Steens Mountain.

archive