President Biden is planning to add another national monument, this one near Joshua Tree National Park, and plans to travel to California in the coming days to dedicate Chuckwalla National Monument, according to people familiar with the matter. Are.
Some Native American tribes, environmentalists and members of Congress are pressuring Mr. Biden to allocate land for the proposed Chuckwalla monument, which is located between the Colorado River and the Coachella Valley in Southern California.
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This designation would add a large new swath of land to the area next to Joshua Tree National Park – making it the largest protected area in the country.
The size of the monument was not immediately clear. There were discussions over how much land to designate, one of the sources said, as developers want to build more solar and wind farms needed for the green energy transition. The Washington Post reported earlier Thursday that it would be 644,000 acres.
The White House declined to comment.
The designation will boost the Biden administration's efforts to protect at least 30% of its lands and waters by 2030 and prevent the Chuckwalla from mining, drilling and logging, sources said.
Mr Biden will use authority in the Antiquities Act, which allows presidents to preserve lands through executive action. Biden has already used the act 13 times. Biden officials have said they have created six monuments and expanded two others and protected more than 46 million acres of land and waters.
Soon, the Biden administration also plans to take action to protect old-growth trees in the National Forest System, two sources said, as the countdown to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration adds a sense of urgency to environmental advocates. Increases.
The President will also sign a proclamation creating Tsittila National Monument in Northern California Washington Post Informed.
Mr Biden has previously named other new national monuments, including one pennsylvania focused on Indian boarding schools, and in a I Which recognized the achievements of the first woman to serve in the President's Cabinet.