Bill Text: NJ AR116 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Opposes any reduction in size of, or level of protection afforded to, any currently designated national monument.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-25 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee [AR116 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR116-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY J. PINKIN
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Opposes any reduction in size of, or level of protection afforded to, any currently designated national monument.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution opposing any reduction in the size of, or level of protection afforded to, any currently designated national monument in the United States.
Whereas, For over 100 years, United States presidents have exercised the authority granted by the Antiquities Act of 1906 (Antiquities Act) to designate as national monuments hundreds of thousands of acres of historic landmarks, structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest, in order to preserve the rich cultural and ecological legacies of this nation, and to protect the designated areas from mining, oil drilling, and other forms of desecration; and
Whereas, As the effects of climate change become more apparent across the nation, the designation of national monuments has become an increasingly important tool for conservation; and
Whereas, On April 26, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a review of all presidential designations and expansions of designations made under the Antiquities Act since January 1, 1996, where the designation covers more than 100,000 acres; and
Whereas, The Secretary of the Interior produced a report which reportedly recommended reducing the size of four national monuments--Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada, and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon--although the report was not made public; and
Whereas, In December 2018, President Trump issued two proclamations, which reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument by approximately 1,150,000 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by approximately 660,000 acres, meaning that almost 2 million acres of public lands may be lost; and
Whereas, It is imperative that national monuments be protected in order to preserve the rich cultural and ecological legacy and the natural resources of this great nation for many generations to come, and it is therefore altogether fitting and proper for this House to oppose any changes in the designations of the many invaluable national monuments in the United States; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully
urges the President of the United States and the Secretary of the United States
Department of the Interior to refrain from supporting or implementing any
reduction in the size of, or level of protection afforded to, any currently
designated national monument in the United States.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, the Secretary of the Interior, and every member of Congress elected from the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges the President of the United States and the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior to refrain from supporting or implementing any reduction in the size of, or level of protection afforded to, any currently designated national monument in the United States.
It is imperative that national monuments be protected in order to preserve the rich cultural and ecological legacy of this great nation for many generations to come. It is for this reason that this resolution opposes any changes in federal policy concerning national monuments that may result in less protection of these important, and often vulnerable, areas.
