Today, President Obama unilaterally designated three new national monuments in the California desert: Sand to Snow National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument, and Castle Mountains National Monument. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:

“This is presidential bullying. The intent of the Antiquities Act is not to act as the President’s magic wand to commandeer land. In order to be good stewards of our environment, we need to allow people to have a say in how they recreate and conserve their land. This doesn’t. It’s an authoritarian act that ignores people under the guise of preservation. The land will not be better protected and people will be harmed.”