House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement to unilaterally designate almost half of the Angeles National forest as the San Gabriel National Monument amid local opposition and without public input.

“President Obama once again is using unilateral action to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, ignoring local input and circumventing Congressional action. Local leaders, business owners, forest management experts, and community members have raised serious economic, recreational public safety, wildfire, and environmental concerns about creating a national monument in the Angeles National forest. President Obama is acting behind closed-doors, leaving local residents in the dark about the impacts and effects of this action. 

“Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. This legislation, which would require public participation before a presidentially declared national monument is made official, would have opened the door on the decision to create the San Gabriel National Monument and involved the voices of local citizens. The President appears intent to spend the rest of this year unilaterally locking up our public lands, further reinforcing why this legislation needs to become law.” 

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