[2][3] The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is located within the New England and mid-Atlantic regions, 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod.

[6] President Barack Obama designated the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (NCSMNM) on September 21, 2016, by signing Proclamation 9496.

[9] According to a White House press release, the Monument was created in response to half a century of calls to protect the area, due to its importance as a biodiversity hotspot, habitat for numerous rare and endangered species, and a valuable scientific and historical site.

[10] Residing at depths of ~4,000 meters, deep sea corals and other foundational species are highly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances such as bottom trawling and mining extractions.

[1] The objective of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is to maintain biodiversity for research, while encouraging and providing support to fisheries to become more efficient, resilient, and sustainable.

[11] The final designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument protects 40% of the originally proposed area, after intense deliberation, considering equity to those affected.

Boasberg wrote, "In all, plaintiffs offer no factual allegations explaining why the entire monument, including not just the seamounts and canyons but also their ecosystems, is too large...The Antiquities Act reaches lands both dry and wet",[15] which the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) pointed out[16] was consistent with Supreme Court's June 6, 2005 ruling in Alaska v. United States that it was "clear" that "the Antiquities Act empowers the President to reserve submerged lands.

"[9] Additionally, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization that works to protect endangered species, said, "Gutting these safeguards attacks the very idea of marine monuments.

"[27] On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order, "Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.

"[28] The president directed the heads of all federal agencies to review every policy adopted during the Trump administration that affects public health, protection of the environment, conservation of national treasures and monuments, and the promotion of environmental justice and climate change resilience.