Antiquities Act Reform & GA's Golden Isles
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good morning,
I’ve been traveling for work, so this is coming to you later than the usual Friday delivery date.
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Quick Thoughts of the Week
If you don’t already, follow IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation (which I helm).
I hope to see some of you in Nashville at SCI Convention later this week. Before I head to Tennessee, I’ll be presenting at an energy trade association event for the first time closer to home.
Last week marked 79 years since Auschwitz was liberated.
Argentina is the next free market frontier.
The Biden administration caved to climate activists and TikTokers by pausing critical LNG export projects.
That’s it for this week. I’ll catch ya next week with more updates!
This Year, Congress Must Resolve to Reform the Antiquities Act
Democratic presidents have routinely abused the Antiquities Act of 1906, a seminal law intended to protect federal lands for scientific, cultural, or historical purposes. Instead, today Democrats hide behind this law as they strip the public of user access to enormous expanses of public lands. President Biden is a chief offender.
Since entering office in January 2021, President Biden has authorized the permanent protection of 24 million federal land acres—including five new national monuments—to boost his “America the Beautiful” initiative that calls for conserving 30% of lands and 30% waters by 2030. The plan, however, fails to define conservation, which may lead to confusion. Conservation doesn’t mean resources are off-limits; it means wise use of resources to honor and sustain them.
Public lands should be open and accessible to all users. President Biden’s agenda, however, is intended to convert multiple-use federal lands into national parks. That’s why Congress should reform the Antiquities Act.
Presidents have authority under Section II of the Antiquities Act to create, expand, and even shrink national monuments. This section, however, also stipulates presidential power to declare sites must be “confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”
Congress must clarify what “smallest area compatible” is and if actual antiquities are being protected to prevent overt land grabs from occurring. Is it half a million acres, like Biden’s second monument, Avi Kwa Ame, in Nevada? Or nearly a million acres to be closed off to mining and grazing near Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona? Should the designations not exceed 100,000 acres? Americans agree “smallest area compatible” shouldn’t encompass large national park-like designations that potentially put multiple-use activities to pasture.
A Glorious Time in Georgia’s Golden Isles
I’ve just returned from a business trip to Georgia’s Golden Isles, the famous coastal barrier islands, and didn’t want to leave.
I’ve previously traveled to Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville but never the Golden Isles— only driven past the exit in 2013— so it was a new experience for me. The Golden Isles comprise St. Simons, Brunswick, and Jekyll Island.
During our stay, Sea Island had a mix of dense fog, like the rest of the East Coast, and sunshine.
The hotel grounds at The Cloister were immaculate. The property is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Banks River— providing wonderful cover for leisurely strolls on the beach and around the island. It’s famous for live oak trees planted powerful heads of state—including American presidents Calvin Coolidge, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, and others. And the 2004 G8 Summit occurred here too.
I round out my early 2024 southeastern travels in Nashville, Tennessee, this week to cover Safari Club International’s annual convention. Stay tuned to see what’ I’ll be up to there
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
I joined State of the Nation Show to discuss the Osage Nation scoring a victory against onshore wind.
And Andrew Langer on the Federal Newswire - The Lunch Hour to discuss public lands, Alaska, and natural asset companies.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
IWF: Taylor Swift Shouldn’t Sully Her Reputation With Problematic Carbon Offsets
RealClear Energy: This Year, Congress Must Resolve to Reform the Antiquities Act
District of Conservation
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts and encourage your friends to subscribe to the newsletter too.
—Gabriella