A federal judge dismissed an effort by the timber industry and users of off-road vehicles (ORVs) to overturn former President Clinton’s order to designate 328,000 acres of federal land in California’s Sierra Nevada as Giant Sequoia National Monument. The plaintiffs challenged the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives the president the authority to establish monuments. They argued that the act was unconstitutional, and said Clinton should not have been allowed to ban logging, mining, and ORVs in Giant Sequoia. U.S. District Judge Richard Urbina disagreed and upheld Clinton’s order. Industry groups have filed suit in other courts to challenge national monuments set aside by Clinton in the West — and enviros hope Urbina’s ruling sets a precedent.
