Articles

President Trump orders review of 21 years of Antiquities Act abuse

April 26, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

This morning, President Trump issued an executive order requiring the Department of Interior to review 21 years of national monument designations. That review is long overdue. For decades, Presidents have treated the Antiquities Act as a blank check to shut down productive activity over vast areas, in the belief that doing so will establish their ...

Articles

Law professors argue the President can't revoke national monuments (and implicitly that Congress can't either)

May 16, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

We’ve written a lot lately about past Presidents’ abuse of the Antiquities Act and President Trump’s opportunity to reconsider some of those abuses. A few weeks ago, the President issued an executive order calling for a review of 21 years of monument designations, suggesting that he may use his power to revoke past designations. N ...

Articles

PLF urges the Administration to reverse Antiquities Act abuses

May 26, 2017 | By JEFF MCCOY

As readers of this blog are aware, many Presidents have abused their power under the Antiquities Act to prevent productive use on federal lands (and on the ocean). President Trump has ordered a review of several of these Monuments, and the Department of the Interior has solicited comments from the public. Yesterday, PLF submitted comments … ...

Articles

Interior Secretary Zinke recommends Bears Ears reduction

June 14, 2017 | By JEFF MCCOY

Ryan Zinke, the Secretary for the Department of the Interior, recommended a reduction in the size of the Bears Ears National Monument, consistent with comments PLF sent to the Secretary last month. … ...

Articles

Weekly litigation report — June 17, 2017

June 17, 2017 | By JAMES BURLING

Interior Secretary Zinke Recommends Bears Ears Reduction Indian River County School Board responds to public outcry, but continues to ignore First Amendment California Supreme Court protects private property Class Action action Florida family loses property rights’ case in Florida appellate court Telling truth to tort Supreme Court asks town ...

Articles

What next for President Trump’s reconsideration of national monuments?

July 11, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

Yesterday was the deadline for public comments on the Department of Interior’s recommendation to the President about what to do about the 27 large national monuments established since the Clinton administration. … ...

Articles

Pacific Legal Foundation Applauds Administration’s Monument Review

August 24, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

The Department of Interior and Secretary Zinke announced the conclusion of an extensive, public review of national monuments. … ...

Articles

Weekly litigation update — August 26, 2017

August 26, 2017 | By JAMES BURLING

Progress on federal gray wolf delisting On August 23rd, we received a response from the Fish and Wildlife Service to our 60-day letter of intent to sue. It indicated that the recent lawsuits over the status of gray wolf populations in the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes have somehow compromised their ability to move forward … ...

Articles

Yes, Trump can revoke national monuments

September 27, 2017 | By JONATHAN WOOD

The Washington Post has published my op-ed defending the President’s power to revoke existing national monuments. Several months ago, President Trump ordered a review of the last 21 years of monument designations. For good reason, the evidence is indisputable that abuse of the monument power has been far worse the last few years. … ...