Public lands throughout the country, including Maine’s new Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, are being threatened by the Trump Administration’s latest effort to undermine the democratic process of how these lands are managed.

In January, the U.S. House passed a “resolution of disapproval” under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that paves the way for mining in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. These CRA’s allow Congress to overturn the management plans of national monuments.

Representative Jared Golden was the only Democrat to vote with the Republican majority to pass the bill overturning the mining ban that threatens the Boundary Waters. This effort by the Trump administration and Congressional allies would allow mining in the Boundary Waters watershed and put this ecosystem at risk. More than 150,000 people visit this area annually to experience the beauty and solitude of this unique area. 

CRAs have never before been used to invalidate monument management plans that are the result of a democratic process that includes input from private citizens and groups, businesses, conservation organizations, and Tribal partners. Utah’s Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is another national monument being threatened by passage of a CRA that seeks to bypass this process. This precedent puts all national monuments at risk.

I urge you to contact Representative Golden’s office and tell him to vote no on future CRAs, an undemocratic and corporate-influenced scheme for management of our public lands.

Buck O’Herin lives in Montville