The American Farm Bureau Federation recently shared with House and Senate leaders the organization’s support for congressional revisions of the Antiquities Act to require that any presidential national monument proclamation be subject to National Environmental Policy Act review and congressional approval.

“Landowners, grazing permittees and local governments should be fully involved as affected partners in any process to execute federal land use designations which restrict public use and access. The lack of local or congressional input and approval of a president’s monument designation often generates significant controversy and economic hardship at the local level,” AFBF wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Proclaiming more new national monuments than any other U.S. president, President Obama over the last seven years has used the authority provided by the Antiquities Act lock up more than 3.9 million acres of land from multiple-use by designating land as national monuments.