Biden Announces New National Monuments, Aiming to Strengthen Green Legacy

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Joe Biden is set to designate two new national monuments in California on Tuesday, as he works to strengthen his environmental legacy in the final days of his presidency.

Just weeks before Donald Trump is set to take office, the 82-year-old president will announce the creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument, a 624,000-acre area near Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. This move will protect the land from activities like drilling, mining, and industrial development, following calls from Native American tribes who have lived on this land for thousands of years.

Biden will also establish the 224,000-acre Sattitla National Monument in northern California, near the Oregon border, granting it similar environmental protections.

"The stunning canyons and winding paths of the Chuckwalla National Monument represent unmatched beauty," said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold a Cabinet position. "I was honored to visit this area and meet with federal, state, tribal, and local leaders to hear about the need to protect and preserve this sacred land. President Biden’s action will safeguard the spiritual and cultural values tied to the land and wildlife, ensuring that future generations can experience this unique place."

Biden’s presidency has already seen the creation of eight new national monuments and the expansion of four others, making him the president who has conserved more land and water than any other, according to the White House.

This announcement follows a significant executive order signed by Biden the day before, banning offshore drilling in large areas of the Atlantic Ocean, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific coasts, as well as part of the Bering Sea off Alaska.

During his first term, Donald Trump reduced the size of several national monuments, and environmentalists fear that his return to the White House could lead to further cuts to protected lands, with a focus on expanding fossil fuel extraction.

Biden's new actions are part of a series of last-minute climate measures, aimed at solidifying environmental protections before Trump potentially reverses them. In mid-December, the Biden administration also set an ambitious climate goal, committing to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% by 2035, with a long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.