“We’ve designated new monuments and historic sites that better reflect the story of all our people,” President Obama recently boasted at Yosemite National Park.
What he’s referring to is the White House’s authority to classify large swaths of land as national monuments based on an obscure provision in the 1906 Antiquities Act. With that designation, the federal government can restrict all sorts of activities on the land, including ranching, off-roading, and energy production—disregarding the wishes of local communities. Obama can effectively rope off millions of acres of land in states like California and Utah without congressional approval.
The Obama administration does so diligently: It has already set aside over 265 million acres of land, more territory than any other president in history. During his two terms, the president has added 22 sites to the National Park System under the Antiquities Act.
