A newly published U.S. Justice Department memo could open a path for President Donald Trump to roll back protections for millions of acres of federal lands and oceans. It has raised alarms among conservation organizations that fear it signals he may be preparing for action.
The 50-page legal opinion provides guidance on the Antiquities Act, concluding the president has grounds to abolish two national monuments established earlier this year by President Joe Biden in California.
More: Biden to create two new national monuments in California
The Justice Department determined an opinion from the U.S. Attorney General nearly a century ago was incorrect. It found Trump has the power to abolish or reduce the size of national monuments established by other presidents.
Conservation organizations called the opinion "blatantly politicized" and an attempt to "rewrite over a century of history and long-standing interpretation." They said it threatens more than 13.5 million acres of national monuments.
