President Obama declared more than 346,000 acres of California forest a national monument Friday, a move that his administration said would protect drinking water for more than 15 million Los Angeles-area residents.
The national monument designation for the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles amounts to the 13th time Obama has protected land through executive order by using the Antiquities Act, a more-than-century-old law enacted during President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration.
“This is an issue of social justice,” Obama said at the Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas, Calif. “Because it’s not enough to have this awesome natural wonder within your sight. You have to be able to access it.”
The move is the latest in a series of White House public lands protections. Obama vowed in his January State of the Union address to use executive action to declare more monuments as another element of his climate change agenda, though the administration says it only does so in places with significant local support for protection.
Obama said that the designation would help restart stalled projects at the park by allowing the U.S. Forest Service to combine with philanthropies and outside groups. The White House noted that the National Forest Foundation, for example, would pump $3 million into the monument.
Republicans have charged, however, that the administration acted without proper public input. They said the monument declaration would constrain potential economic development and raised concerns that the designation could complicate wildfire prevention efforts.
“Once again this administration is taking unilateral action without congressional or public input by naming the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “This action restricts access to public lands and would put nearly half of the Angeles National Forest under lock and key. I strongly support multiple use of our national forests and other public lands, but this decision severely limits usage.”
