URGENT: ANTIQUITIES ACT UNDER ATTACK -- ( Alert.Wilderness.Org )
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Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 14:31:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: WildAlert <wilderne...@alert.wilderness.org>
Subject: URGENT: ANTIQUITIES ACT UNDER ATTACK
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* WILD ALERT
* Monday, June 17, 2002
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"Leave it as it is. You cannot improve upon it. Not one bit. What
you can do is keep it for your children; your children's children, and
all who come after you." These were the words of Teddy Roosevelt as
he set aside the Grand Canyon as a National Monument in 1906.
This week, the Antiquities Act, the law that gave President Roosevelt
the power to protect the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, Chaco
Canyon and many other beloved places, will be under attack in
Congress. H.R. 2114 the "Monuments Fairness Act" would gut the
Antiquities Act. The House will vote on H.R. 2114 this Weds. June
19th. Your action is urgently needed to help stop the attack. Please
read on, or take action now at:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/index.asp?step=2&item=1614
Better yet, please call your representative in Congress and ask him or
her to oppose H.R. 2114. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or see
"Calling Congress" below.
BACKGROUND
The Antiquities Act gives the President the authority to protect areas
that have significant historical, cultural, scenic and scientific
values. It's been used by 14 of the last 17 presidents to protect
special places like Zion National Park and the Grand Tetons.
Now, the same anti-environmental Members of the Congress who make the
Antiquities Act such an essential tool in defense of our public lands
are out to gut it. The weapon is H.R. 2114 and the U.S. House of
Representatives will vote on it as early as Weds., June 19th.
ATTACK ON THE ANTIQUITIES ACT
H.R. 2114, the "Monuments Fairness Act," authored by Rep. Mike Simpson
(R-ID) would:
-Remove protective status from any new monument of over 50,000 acres
within two years of designation unless the Congress okays it. This
single provision would defeat the very purpose of the Antiquities Act.
-Prevent timely presidential actions to protect wild places and
wildlife habitat.
-Skew the balance between the President and the Congress in protection
of public land resources, a balance that has served us well for over
90 years.
This measure is only one of several loose in the Congress that aim to
weaken the Antiquities Act. Others seek also to drastically diminish
the protections afforded to the new National Monuments established in
the Clinton Administration. These public lands are the heritage of
every American.
TAKE ACTION NOW
You can take quick action now from our web site at:
http://www.wilderness.org/takeaction/index.asp?step=2&item=1614
CALLING CONGRESS
Or, call your representative. You can use our legislative directory
to look up local phone numbers: http://tws.ctsg.com/wac/legDirectory
Or use the Capitol Hill Switchboard: 202-224-3121
POINTS TO MAKE
-Please oppose H.R. 2114, the "Monuments Fairness Act."
-This bill would eviscerate the Antiquities Act, which gives our
President the authority to protect special, imminently threatened
areas on our federal lands.
-Please also oppose any efforts to weaken the Antiquities Act or to
diminish protections for places set aside under the Antiquities Act.
-Please work to permanently protect our designated national monuments.
The Act gives Presidents the authority to protect scenic splendor,
scientific and cultural resources and wildlife habitat. In the 21st
century, this law may be more important than ever before.
DOWNLOAD OUR BROCHURE
You can download a full-color handbook about the Antiquities Act, with
a listing of national monuments, by going to:
http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/monuments/
And clicking on "learn more."
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"Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only
mar it. " -Theodore Roosevelt, title of novel, 1903.
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For a full list of Action Items, visit
http://www.wilderness.org/whatcan/takeaction.htm
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http://www.wilderness.org/wildalert/wildalerts.htm
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Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect America's
wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands
through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy. Our
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website at http://www.wilderness.org
Micky Bitsco
that Bill Clinton used it for. The Antiquities act was intended for monuments
and was -never- intended to give the president the vast power that Bill Clinton
abused it for when he shut off 1.7 million acres of prime land in Utah as
political retribution to republican Senator Orin Hatch. A "monument" as intended
by the Antiquities act is not 1.7 million acres of land, never had been and
never should of been. Where substantial amounts of land are concerned, then how
it is disposed of from both a democratic and moral sense must have congressional
approval, allowing the Senators and Congressmen representing the people from the
State it affects to have their voice in the matter. Until Bill Clinton and his
use of minion frothing at the mouth left wing enviro nuts to achieve his
political ends, that was the essence of the Antiquities Act and common practice.
Historically turning huge tracts of land into un-touchable wilderness was a
substantial and important duty only performed by Congress until Bill Clinton
abused the Antiquities act. To keep the politics out of it and the process
democratic, the Antiquities act must quite justifiably be changed to limit the
powers of the President. As these enviro freaks advocate, use the below numbers
and let your congress know that you support the proposed power limiting changes
in the Antiquities act.
"-" <jum...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3d0ec9db....@news.cis.dfn.de...
Andrew Remsen
Micky Bitsco wrote:
> Modifications to the Antiquities acts is needed to stop the kind of abuse of it
> that Bill Clinton used it for. The Antiquities act was intended for monuments
> and was -never- intended to give the president the vast power that Bill Clinton
> abused it for when he shut off 1.7 million acres of prime land in Utah as
> political retribution to republican Senator Orin Hatch. A "monument" as intended
> by the Antiquities act is not 1.7 million acres of land, never had been and
> never should of been. Where substantial amounts of land are concerned, then how
> it is disposed of from both a democratic and moral sense must have congressional
> approval, allowing the Senators and Congressmen representing the people from the
> State it affects to have their voice in the matter. Until Bill Clinton and his
> use of minion frothing at the mouth left wing enviro nuts to achieve his
> political ends, that was the essence of the Antiquities Act and common practice.
> Historically turning huge tracts of land into un-touchable wilderness was a
> substantial and important duty only performed by Congress until Bill Clinton
> abused the Antiquities act. To keep the politics out of it and the process
> democratic, the Antiquities act must quite justifiably be changed to limit the
> powers of the President. As these enviro freaks advocate, use the below numbers
> and let your congress know that you support the proposed power limiting changes
> in the Antiquities act.
Yeah. You are right. Instead we should just let Bush and his energy pals use the
public lands anyway they like. It's much better to give it away with little or no
benefit to the public than preserve a little bit of wilderness for coming
genrations.
--
Andrew Remsen