Early last week a list of fourteen areas under consideration for National Monument status was leaked to the press. This leak caused quite a bit of commotion on Capitol Hill. Shortly after the news broke, two senior House Republicans started accusing the administration (specifically, the Interior Department) of trying to take over vast areas of land to prevent the development of mining and oil drilling ventures.

Calling the Antiquities Act “imperial” was just one of the many claims that Representatives Doc Hastings (Washington) and Rob Bishop (Utah) made to the press. This developed into an attempt to block the White House from the authority to designate National Monuments. Spearheaded by Republican Senator Jim DeMint (South Carolina), it was ultimately rejected late last week. To add irony to the story, DeMint hoped to add the amendment to current legislation related to bolstering tourism.

At any rate, the original document listing 14 areas in the western United States is being referred to as a “preliminary draft” and the result of a brainstorming session with Bureau of Land Management officials. When Bishop demanded that people, “deserve to know the full extent of the planning as well as the involvement of all outside parties,” in a prepared statement delivered last Friday, the Interior Department was prepared. Working with the local community and their concerns, rather than those not affected by the decisions, a spokesperson for the Interior Department said they “believes new designations and conservation initiatives work best when they build on local efforts to better manage places that are important to nearby communities.”

Read more about the developing issue on The Hill.