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Utah County Commission backs resolution urging local input on federal monument designations
Summary
The commission approved a resolution opposing large unilateral federal monument designations under the Antiquities Act without local consultation and expressed support for a congressional bill calling for local involvement.
The Utah County Commission approved a resolution opposing what commissioners described as the "abuse" of the Antiquities Act to create large presidential monument designations without local input.
Commissioner (Speaker 5) moved to approve the resolution and Commissioner (Speaker 4) seconded; the motion passed after a voice vote in which commissioners present said "aye." The record does not show a roll-call tally by name.
Commissioner (Speaker 5) told the commission that in recent decades outgoing presidents have designated large areas as national monuments in Utah, sometimes encompassing tens or hundreds of thousands of acres. She said Congresswoman Celeste Molloy has introduced federal legislation to require local jurisdictions be included in monument-creation processes and framed the resolution as support for that legislative approach. "If there was going to be a monument that was declared by a president in our county, we would want them to do it in conjunction with us," the commissioner said.
The resolution, as described in the meeting, affirms support for preserving natural and historical sites but opposes large-scale unilateral designations that commissioners said could negatively affect agriculture, recreation and local commerce. The commission recorded a motion to approve and the chair announced the motion passed.
The resolution will be transmitted consistent with the commission's process for communicating positions to federal representatives; the transcript indicates the purpose was to show county support for the referenced congressional reform but does not identify additional implementation steps or legal actions.
