Trump's justification for the order was that Obama's use of the 1906 Antiquities Act to create monuments marked an "egregious abuse of federal power".
In a decision that could affect millions of acres of land, Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to review any designation of lands as national monuments since January 1, 1996.
"Tremendously positive things are going to happen on that incredible land - the likes of which there is nothing more lovely anywhere in the world", said the president before signing the executive order. The monuments to be reviewed were all established under sitting US presidents under the Antiquities Act of 1906.
The designations of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996 and the Bears Ears National Monument in 2016 are considered the book-ends of modern Antiquities Act overreach.
I urge everyone who loves America's public lands and supports the continued protection of National Monuments to contact their members of Congress and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to express outrage at the Trump administration's efforts to roll back National Monument protections. The 24 national monuments Trump is reviewing were established over the past twenty years by three former presidents. It encompases 346,000 acres.
Obama created the Bears Ears monument in the final days of his administration, arguing that it would protect the cultural legacy of Native American tribes and preserve "scenic and historic landscapes".
Zinke said that over the past 20 years, the designation of tens of millions of acres as national monuments has limited the lands' use for farming, timber harvesting, mining and oil and gas exploration, among other commercial purposes.
President Trump: "Russia-Trump Collusion Story is a Total Hoax"
Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, questioned Yates heatedly about her objections to Trump's travel ban. But she said she didn't know if the White House took steps to restrict Flynn's access to sensitive or classified information.
"The policy is consistent with the President Trump's promise to give Americans a voice and make sure their voices are heard", Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has been one of those critics, and has long asked the President to review government control of Bears Ears and other monuments.
San Francisco-based Earthjustice, a major nonprofit environmental law organization, says, "Any attempt to reverse or shrink a monument designation by the executive branch is unlawful under the Antiquities Act". The Department of the Interior will review monuments and determine which it recommends changing.
The law in question is called the Antiquities Act. U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill in September that would require the president to get congressional approval and a statement from the governor of the state where a monument would be located that the state legislature has approved the designation.
Filfred said he and the coalition won't stand by idly if Zinke tries to undo the designation.
These are the 26 national monuments President Trump wants to shut down.
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