Court upholds creation of national monument in Atlantic
Source: Associated Press
Court upholds creation of national monument in Atlantic
December 26, 2019
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday upheld former President Barack Obama’s designation of a federally protected conservation area in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that commercial fishermen oppose.
Fishing groups sued over the creation of Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a 5,000-square-mile (8,000-square-kilometer) area that contains fragile deep sea corals and vulnerable species of marine life. The monument was established in 2016.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last year, and the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the decision Friday.
The appeals panel brushed aside arguments that federal law governing monuments applies only to land, not oceans; that the area of the ocean is not “controlled” by the federal government; that it is not compatible with National Marine Sanctuaries Act; and that it is not the “smallest area compatible” with management goals.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Conservation Law Foundation applauded the legal decision.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/f889ed864fbcc7030e3266958754d0c1
