Texas Conservatives Want a California Monument Gone

Newsweek

09-05-2025

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Plaintiffs represented by a Texas-based conservative think tank are suing the federal government to undo the establishment of a California monument.
The lawsuit against Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Department of the Interior challenges a proclamation issued by then-President Joe Biden on January 14. The proclamation set aside approximately 624,000 acres to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California.
Texas Public Policy Foundation is representing Daniel Torongo, whose family has mined in the region since 1978, and BlueRibbon Coalition, a non-profit that works to protect recreational access to public lands, in the lawsuit filed May 1.
Why It Matters
The plaintiffs allege that Biden's proclamation violates the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law authorizing the president to declare historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures and other objects of historic or scientific interest as national monuments.
A sign is set up ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to the Chuckwalla National Monument, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, to the Coachella Valley, Calif.
A sign is set up ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to the Chuckwalla National Monument, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, to the Coachella Valley, Calif.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
The plaintiffs argue that the Chuckwalla region is not an object, so it cannot be designated as a monument.
"An object cannot be understood to be a region based on the ordinary meaning of the word 'object' in the context of the Act or the legislative history of the Act," Texas Public Policy Foundation attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.
What To Know
The Antiquities Act also states that the president can reserve parcels of land as part of the national monuments, but the parcels "shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected."
"The Chuckwalla National Monument also exceeds the President's authority under the Antiquities Act because neither Chuckwalla, nor the items listed as objects within the monument, are confined to the 'smallest area compatible,'" Texas Public Policy Foundation attorneys wrote.
The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs "have suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable injury as a result of the establishment of the Chuckwalla National Monument that can be redressed by the court."
The attorneys claim that the proclamation interferes with Torongo's ability to mine in the region, and he has a "significant financial interest" in mining.
The proclamation also interferes with the ability of BlueRibbon Coalition members to drive, hike and explore trails within the region, according to the complaint.
"Besides preventing enjoyment of the land, the designation may also harm BRC members financially, as many of them have invested significant amounts of money in off-roading vehicles and equipment," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs ask the court to declare that the proclamation violates the Antiquities Act and the Constitution. It also asks the court to set aside the creation and establishment of the monument and issue a permanent injunction preventing the enforcement of the proclamation and future monument planning activities.
What People Are Saying
Texas Public Policy Foundation attorneys, in a May 1 complaint: "The Chuckwalla National Monument exceeds presidential authority by attempting to protect indiscriminate objects; objects not expressly listed in the proclamation; and objects 'yet to be discovered.'"
Janessa Goldbeck, chief executive of Vet Voice Foundation, a nonprofit representing veterans, in comments to the Los Angeles Times: "We have a Texas special interest group representing a guy from Michigan trying to undo something that Californians love and fought for. So I think it's important that we see it for what it is, which is an ideological attempt by out-of-state special interests to sell off our public lands here in California."
What Happens Next
Summons were issued for the defendants. They will have 60 days to respond after service of the summons is completed.
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