House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement on President Obama’s designation of the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as a part of the Coastal California National Monument:

“Instead of using imperial powers, the President should pick up the phone and call upon Senate Democrats to take action. The House has already passed legislation, sponsored by a California Democrat, to expand the California Coastal National Monument by adding these lands. There is no inherent danger to this area or compelling reason for the President to take unilateral action now. The Senate simply needs to do their job and pass the bill.  National monument designations should be based on the support of locally-elected leaders on behalf of their affected communities and result from an act of Congress.  That’s the way the process should, and is, working.  While there is broad support for the expansion of this national monument, this is clearly an unnecessary use of excessive Presidential power.”

Last May, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held a legislative hearing on H.R. 1441 (Huffman) to add 1,255 acres from the federally owned Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the California Coastal National Monument.  The bill was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee in June and passed by the full House in July. This monument was established by President Bill Clinton in 2000. The Senate has yet to act on this bill or its companion legislation S. 61 (Boxer).

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