Public Land Withdrawal Policy and the Antiquities Act

After setting forth a brief history of public land withdrawals, this comment analyzes the current statutory public land withdrawal scheme as expressed in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and identifies the various policies underlying FLPMA. Next, an examination of the Antiquities Act\u27s legislative history, judicial interpretation, and use will show that the intended scope of the Act is quite different from both its actual application by Presidents and its interpretation by courts. Evaluating the Act in light of the land withdrawal policies expressed in FLPMA, this comment will conclude that use of the Antiquities Act is so inconsistent with those policies that the Act should be repealed