In recent decades, presidents have used the 1906 Antiquities Act to bypass Congress and declare massive swathes of land as “national monuments,” especially in western states. This practice was taken to a new level when the federal government announced the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California on Jan. 7.
The monument will cover more than 600,000 acres. The designated 600,000 acres certainly does not consist exclusively of “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest,” as required by federal law.