The Trump administration is reviewing whether it has the authority to rescind President Obama’s designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine, according to an article on PressHerald.com.
Maine Governor Paul LePage asked the administration to rescind the protection of the 87,500 acres in the Katahdin region.
Obama created the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine last summer. The expanse of donated forestland includes part of the Penobscot River and stunning views of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain.
Trump’s staff is now reviewing that decision by the Obama administration – as well as another national monument designation in Utah – to determine economic impacts, whether the law was followed and whether there was appropriate consultation with local officials.
The Antiquities Act of 1906 doesn’t give the president power to undo a designation, and no president has ever taken such a step.