Biden Creates Two National Monuments in California

AFP/APP

Los Angeles: President Joe Biden is set to designate two new U.S. national monuments in California as part of his efforts to secure a lasting environmental legacy in the final days of his presidency.

The two new monuments will protect vast areas of land from industrial activities such as drilling, mining, and solar energy farms.

The first, Chuckwalla National Monument, covers 624,000 acres (252,000 hectares) near Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. The second, Sattitla National Monument, spans 224,000 acres in the state’s northern region, near the Oregon border.

The designations follow lobbying efforts from Native American tribes that have historically used these lands and are intended to safeguard the spiritual and cultural values of the area.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland praised the move, calling the Chuckwalla National Monument “a true unmatched beauty” and emphasizing the protection it will offer for wildlife and future generations.

These two new designations will add to Biden’s environmental legacy, which already includes eight new national monuments and the expansion of four existing ones. According to the White House, Biden has now conserved more land and water than any other U.S. president.

Biden’s announcement was initially scheduled for a visit to California’s Coachella Valley but was delayed due to high winds and a major fire near Los Angeles. It will now be made at a White House ceremony next week.

Biden’s environmental actions come as a counter to the policies of former President Donald Trump, who reduced the size of national monuments during his term.

Biden’s administration is aiming to secure environmental protections before a potential shift in leadership, with fears that a return of Trump could lead to further rollbacks in land protections and an expansion of fossil fuel extraction.

In addition to the new monuments, Biden signed an executive order on Monday banning offshore drilling in an expansive area covering the Atlantic coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico, Pacific coast, and parts of the Bering Sea off Alaska.

The Biden administration’s actions are seen as part of a broader effort to achieve ambitious climate goals, including a target to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035, with a path to net zero emissions by 2050.