Law & Order

Newest National Monument Designations Pose Continued Threat to Off-Roading

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Obama recently designated three national monuments, including the 700,000-plus-acre Basin and Range National Monument in eastern Nevada, the 330,000-acre Berryessa Snow Mountain Monument in Northern California and the Waco National Monument in Texas. SEMA opposes the designations since it automatically prohibits new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and requires a new land-management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. President Obama has now designated 19 national monuments since 2009, more than any other president.   

SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders. This would include requiring national monument designations to gain widespread local support from the communities they impact. Accordingly, SEMA supports legislation in the U.S. Congress to curtail the president’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by congress and the impacted state legislature(s).  

For more information on how you can support efforts in Congress to eliminate unilateral national monument designates, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For additional details on the recent national monument designations, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.