Q: The AJC recently reported that President Obama, by executive authority, added 1,665 acres to the California Coastal National Monument. Can this, and other executive actions, be reversed by future presidents without congressional involvement? Have any been reversed in the past?
—Bob Sullivan, Canton
A: Obama used his power under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to add land to the California Coastal National Monument along the Mendocino coastline earlier this month. The act allows the president to protect "… historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States … ." The Associated Press reported that this move permanently protects that land. The National Park Service states that Section 2 of the Antiquties Act Section 2 "made the establishment of national monuments an administrative action that was quicker and far more easy to execute." Executive orders, which are used to bypass Congress, can, and have been, overturned. Obama overturned George W. Bush's 2001 order that restricted public access to the papers of former presidents, and courts have overturned executive orders by Harry Truman and Bill Clinton, according to CNBC.
Q: Why, at the top of each hour, does WSB Radio state WSBB-FM instead of just WSB-FM? Why the second ‘B?’
—Dick Donovan, Hiram
A: WSB broadcasts on two frequencies – 95.5-FM and 750-AM – and each has been assigned a set of call letters. WSBB-FM is assigned to 95.5 and WSB-AM is 750, and the station is required to deliver a legal identification — which is registered with the FCC — of each one at the top of every hour. A sister FM station, B98.5, is WSB-FM.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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