Obama sparks Republican backlash after he blocks development on vast tracts of land in Utah and Nevada by designating them national monuments
President has created Bear Ears National Monument, 1.35million acres in Utah
Gold Butte National Monument outside Las Vegas, Nevada is 300,000 acres
Both are considered of huge environmental and archaeological importance
Energy companies had been sniffing around them for oil drilling or fracking
But local Republicans are furious and have threatened to sue President Obama
CHRIS SUMMERS
DailyMail.com
29 December 2016
Barack Obama has sparked a Republican backlash after declaring vast tracts of land in Utah and Nevada national monuments in order to block development on them.
In the final days of his presidency, Obama looked to expand his environmental legacy and at the same time possibly bind the hands of president-elect Donald Trump.
The new legislation sees the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah upgraded to cover 1.35million acres in the Four Corners region.
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