By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Rep. Uifa’atali Amata Radewagen this week expressed her support for her colleagues' brief filing in the Supreme Court regarding what they described as "abusive use" of the Antiquities Act, which has been used to create and expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
Radewagen, American Samoa's delegate to the U.S. Congress, said the Pacific Remote Islands marine sanctuary was over the size of California when first created and later expanded fourfold.
The Biden administration plans to further expand the protected areas.
“It is just abusive to take away an area of waters the size of our country and potentially remove all our fishing rights in this immense area," Radewagen said. "I encouraged the court along with my 28 congressional colleagues to oppose expansion and curb such abuses."
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Radewagen submitted a letter to the U.S. Supreme Court, supporting a congressional amici curiae brief filed in the cases American Forest Resource Council v. the United States of America, and Murphy Company v. Biden.
“As congresswoman of American Samoa and a congressional Western Caucus member and vice chair whose jurisdiction has been impacted by the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument creation and expansion I join my 28 congressional colleagues in support of the amici brief related to Antiquities Act abuses," she wrote.
“An amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting the limiting of presidential authority under the Antiquities Act was filed in support of the petitions for writ of certiorari urging the Supreme Court to review American Forest Resource Council v. the United States of America and Murphy Company v. Biden," she added.
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