Biden to establish two new monuments in California, protecting indigenous land - Washington Examiner
President Joe Biden is expected to announce two new national monuments on tribal land in California within a few days — one of several actions meant to limit drilling taken just before President-elect Donald Trump enters office.
One of the national monuments will be the around 644,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park. The second monument will be the approximately 200,000-acre Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California, The Washington Post reported.
The two sites would be protected from new drilling, mining, and logging, as several indigenous peoples consider these areas sacred ancestral homeland. Tribes have fought against gold mining and mining exploration in Chuckwalla. The region is also home to bighorn sheep, deer, wild burros, and snakes.
In Sáttítla, the Pit River Tribe and environmental groups have fought against geothermal development and logging in the area. The region contains lava flows, lakes, and sugar pine forests. It is also home to wildlife such as blue ribbon trout, black bears, sierra martens, bald eagles, and northern spotted owls.
The move would answer the wishes of Native American tribes, which have asked the administration to make Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monuments to protect them from development.
Biden has designated six national monuments using the Antiquities Act, whereas Trump removed two national monuments in Utah, allowing mining developments. Native American and environmental groups have asked Biden to establish more national monuments before leaving office.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has quickly issued rules, tax credits, and loans for clean energy projects to fulfill its climate agenda before the Trump administration. The administration has also sought to establish barriers for the incoming administration, which will attempt to undo many of Biden’s climate policies.
Last month, the administration announced plans to withdraw nearly 264,000 acres of federal lands in the Nevada mountain range from oil and gas development.