Trump Orders Review of National Monuments: 'Today We Put the States Back in Charge'

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing his interior secretary to review millions of acres of land designated as "national monuments."

The president accused his predecessor of abusing the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the president to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict how the lands can be used.

"The previous administration used a 100-year-old law, known as the Antiquities Act, to unilaterally put millions of acres of land and water under strict federal control … eliminating the ability of the people who actually live in those states to decide how best to use that land," Trump said during a signing ceremony at the Department of the Interior.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made it clear that the executive order does not remove any monuments or weaken environmental protections. The review could lead to recommendations that residents be given the say on how best to use the land.

The goal, President Trump explained, is to "end abuse of federal power and give that power back to the states and people where it belongs."

Utah Republicans were upset when former President Barack Obama created the Bears Ears National Monument on more than 1 million acres of land that's sacred to Native Americans and home to archeological sites.

Over the last 20 years, Zinke said, tens of millions of acres have been designated as national monuments, limiting their use for farming, timber harvesting, mining and oil and gas exploration, and other commercial uses.

"Today, we put the states back in charge," said President Trump.

The order is one of many the president plans to sign this week ahead of his 100th day in office.