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Editorial: Ignoring Congress wouldn’t be right

Friday, April 7, 2000 | 9:45 a.m.

Sen. Richard Bryan says he is going to continue his efforts to get Congress to designate more than 600,000 acres of the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada as a national conservation area, despite the fact that many don't give it much chance of passage this year, which is Bryan's last in Congress. Environmentalists say they hope Congress passes Bryan's bill, but some already say they might ask President Clinton to bypass Congress and unilaterally designate these lands as a national monument.

Federal law gives the president the authority to sidestep Congress and make such designations to protect the natural beauty and environment of federal lands, but the president rarely uses this option because it tends to anger Congress, which naturally feels it should play a role. Besides, the Clinton administration uses an extensive review process to make these determinations and the Black Rock Desert isn't even under consideration; a rushed decision would be foolish. The Black Rock Desert, at this time, does not warrant such an extraordinary action by the president.

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