Two national monuments in California may lose federal designation
The Trump administration is seeking to reverse the official reservation of Chuckwalla in southern California and the Sáttítla Highlands in Siskiyou County as national monuments, which former President Joe Biden established days before leaving office.
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Late last month, the Department of Justice issued a memo in which it determined that the Trump administration had the ability to revoke previously granted national monument status.
The memo overrides a 1938 opinion by then-Attorney General Homer Cummings, who said presidents did not have the power to abolish national monuments.
The DOJ argued in part that the president's power to grant national monuments, which was established by the Antiquities Act of 1906, should be treated as reversible by the president, as many other executive powers are.
The department cited several examples in which presidents reduced the size of previous national monument designations.
The Trump administration also said that Biden did not adhere to a requirement that the reservation of land be kept to the 'smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected.'
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'It is vital to preserve this unique geologic landscape that holds sites and objects of historical, traditional, cultural, and spiritual significance for Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples who have gathered Indigenous Knowledge and practiced and shaped their cultures linked integrally to this area over countless generations,' Biden declared in his proclamation establishing the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument.
'In addition to containing numerous objects of historic and scientific interest as described above, this area also provides exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities, including hiking, biking, snowmobiling, camping, hunting, scenic driving and canoeing.'
The Biden administration cited similar reasons for seeking to protect Chuckwalla.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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