Dwellings within Bears Ears National Monument (Photo: Russel Daniels, used with permission)
With the support of area tribes, President Joe Biden just designated the Chuckwalla National Monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act. That same law created the path for Barack Obama to designate the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Both actions stirred opposition from ranchers, oil drillers and other profit-driven entities who see a better use for that land. Now, that opposition is surfacing in Congress as a bill to strip the president’s use of Antiquities. We’ll talk about what the Antiquities Act does, and how it protects—and hinders—Native American interests.
