April 18, 2018 — The Trump administration is defending an underwater monument established by former President Barack Obama to protect marine life in the Atlantic Ocean and asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from fishermen trying to eliminate it.
President Obama established the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in September 2016, setting aside a 5,000-square mile are off of New England for protection due to the presence in the area of fragile deep sea corals and vulnerable species of marine life in the area.
The move inspired a lawsuit by fisherman and lobstermen who claimed Obama “exceeded his power under the Antiquities Act” when cordoning off the ocean acreage from commercial use.
But on Monday, the Trump administration filed a lengthy defense of the monument in federal court in Washington.
The filing comes even as the White House continues to review several monuments created by President Trump’s Democratic predecessor.
Read the full story at the Courthouse News Service