Utah's Rep. Jason Chaffetz was very upset and called President Obama "arrogant" for using the Antiquities Act of 1906, to designate the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears area as a national monument.
Chaffetz told Fox News, "It's just terribly arrogant, he unilaterally — he is taking 1.35 million acres, that's more land than there is in the entire state of Delaware, and re-designating it as a national monument."
The land area of state of Utah is 84,898 sq mi and Delaware is 2,489 sq mi so although it sounds really big, it's not in proportion to the overall size of Utah.
Chaffetz tried to claim that many poor farmers would be hurt by this, but of course that's dubious at best since infamous Utah land speculators like the “Lyman Family Farm, Inc., want to get their hands on parts of it.
He continued, "There is not a single ... elected official that represents that area that's in favor of it, but the President did it anyway."
When asked by host Sandra Smith why Obama would do it with some twenty days left in his presidency, and Rep. Chaffetz once again cited the president's "arrogance."
Expect to hear the word "arrogant" used a lot in the next eighteen days by men like Rep. Chaffetz. Of course what they mean to say, but can't, is "uppity."
The Utah Congressman then threatened the departing President by using his power to investigate anything or anybody and said, "I'm the chairman of the Oversight Committee, I can investigate anything at anytime. I can actually issue subpoenas and drag them ..."
Smith asked, "Are you going to?"
Rep. Chaffetz replied, "Absolutely!"
Chaffetz was also upset that the President refused to hear his pleas against taking the measure and again used his favorite term of endearment for Obama, "They gave us a fifty minute notice that they were going to do this and it's just terribly arrogant..."
The Hill writes, "Obama's decision to create the national monuments means that the area, that contains some Native American artifacts, will be protected from energy drilling in the future."
The President did it to protect another historically and beautiful piece of land from the hands of the privateers.
The tribes, backed by conservation groups, archaeologists and outdoor retailer Patagonia, want either Congress or Obama to declare 1.9 million acres of San Juan County off limits to mineral development and unfettered off-highway vehicle use.
Their goal is to protect the region's dense array of tribal cliff dwellings, rock art, burial sites, pit houses and ancient roads from heavy machinery, as well as looters and vandals. The safeguards also would maintain tribes' access to firewood, medicinal plants and ceremonial sites.
