Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) offered an amendment to S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, an amendment which would limit the president’s authority to protect national monuments. This amendment would weaken the Antiquities Act by restricting the president from designating new national monuments in the state of Utah. The Antiquities Act, which has been used by 17 presidents of both parties, has provided initial protections for nearly half of our national parks, including Grand Canyon and Acadia National Parks. Presidents need this authority to continue to act swiftly to protect irreplaceable natural, cultural, and historical sites on our public lands, especially in the face of threats to these magnificent places. On February 11, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) offered a motion to table the Lee amendment, which the Senate approved by a vote of 60-30 (Senate roll call vote 20). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.