Contact Me | Media Center | Our DistrictFor Immediate ReleaseContact: Anthony FotiDate: October 5, 2026anthony.foti@mail.house.gov
Gosar Introduces LANDs Act to Restore Congressional Oversight
of Massive Federal Land Designations
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09) issued the following statement after introducing H.R. 10699, the Legislative Approval for National Designations Act, or LANDs Act, legislation to restore Congress’s role in major federal land-use decisions and rein in unilateral executive action under the Antiquities Act:
“For more than a century, the Antiquities Act has been abused to allow presidents to lock up enormous amounts of public land with the stroke of a pen. That is not how representative government is supposed to work.
The LANDs Act puts the people and their elected representatives back in the driver’s seat. If millions of acres are going to be withdrawn from multiple use, Congress should have a say, stated Congressman Gosar.
“We applaud Dr. Gosar’s introduction of the Legislative Approval for National Designations, or LANDs, Act. Though well-intentioned a century ago, the Antiquities Act now needs congressional oversight for designations affecting millions of acres, especially across the Western United States. As questions about the future of the federal budget and priorities arise, it is critical that Congress has tools to address the size of the federal estate,” added Americans for Prosperity.
“Congressman Gosar’s LANDs Act restores a basic principle of representative government: decisions that lock up vast areas of federal land should not be made without Congress and the people’s elected representatives having a voice,” said Margaret Byfield, Executive Director of American Stewards of Liberty. “By requiring congressional approval for major land withdrawals, focusing the Antiquities Act on actual objects of antiquity, protecting private property, and preserving state authority over water rights, this bill brings much-needed accountability to federal land policy.”
“Massive federal land designations move lands away from their traditional multiple-use management and toward single-use restrictions. Large-scale designations have lasting negative consequences for communities, access, economic opportunity, and the management of our natural resources. Those decisions deserve the scrutiny of Congress and the people’s elected officials. Too much acreage has been locked up by the swipe of a pen without meaningful input hurting recreational access and BlueRibbon Coalition’s members. The LANDS Act restores the rightful balance by ensuring that major national designations receive congressional consideration,” stated Simone Griffin, Policy Director, BlueRibbon Coalition.
“The Antiquities Act authorizes a president to reserve small parcels of land to help preserve landmarks, structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest. Unfortunately, some presidents have used this power to unilaterally take millions of acres of productive land out of use. This goes way beyond what the law was intended for and hurts local communities and the economy. The LANDs Act would help prevent future presidents from abusing the Antiquities Act, including through such extreme land grabs,” added Daren Bakst, Director of the Center for Energy and Environment and Senior Fellow, and Jacob Tomasulo, Policy Analyst, Competitive Enterprise Institute.
“The Antiquities Act has long needed attention due to the sweeping impacts a president can have on rural communities and families with a mere stroke of a pen. We applaud Congressman Gosar for taking up this issue,” noted Ty Bays, President, New Mexico Federal Lands Council.
“The Antiquities Act was intended to protect discrete historic landmarks and other significant objects, not to allow presidents to unilaterally lock up millions of acres of land. Pacific Legal Foundation applauds Congressman Gosar for introducing the LANDs Act. By requiring congressional approval for large land withdrawals, preventing sweeping marine monument designations, and restoring clear limits on what qualifies as an ‘object,’ this bill establishes commonsense guardrails that return the Antiquities Act to its original purpose while restoring Congress’s rightful role in major public lands decisions,” concluded Megan Jenkins, Strategic Research Director, Pacific Legal Foundation.
Original Cosponsors:
Reps. Begich, Boebert, Crane, Hageman, Kennedy (UT), and Stauber
Group Supporters:
Americans for Prosperity, American Stewards of Liberty, Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association, Association of National Grasslands, BlueRibbon Coalition, Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, New Mexico Federal Lands Council, Pacific Legal Foundation, Public Lands Council (PLC)
Background:
The legislation requires congressional approval for federal land withdrawals exceeding 5,000 acres and places new limits on national monument designations. It would also cap new monuments at 640 acres without congressional approval, require private property owners’ consent when their property would be included within a monument, prohibit the reservation of water rights through a designation, and clarify what qualifies as an “object of antiquity.”
The LANDs Act builds on Interior Department Secretarial Order 3418 and seeks to ensure decisions involving livestock grazing, energy and mineral development, timber, recreation, wildlife, water and other public-land uses receive appropriate congressional scrutiny.
Click here to read a copy of the legislation.
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