(Patriot.buzz) – In a demonstration that Joe Biden won’t let up on imposing progressive policies on the nation till his last day in office, the lame-duck president has moved to designate two new national monuments in California in an attempt to blend cultural preservation with environmental conservation.
See the tweet below!
With drilling and mining halted across 800,000 acres, the real impact of Biden’s conservation agenda becomes a subject of increasing scrutiny.
President Joe Biden announced the creation of Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in Northern California.
The presidential proclamation employs authority to shield these vast swathes from potential commercial development encompassing drilling and mining, effectively conserving 600,000 and 224,000 acres respectively.
The initiative aims to preserve vital Native American heritage, with Chuckwalla located near Joshua Tree National Park, rich in tribal cultural landscapes, and the Sáttítla monument safeguarding ancestral lands of the Pit River Nation near Mount Shasta.
This proclamation aligns with Biden’s “America the Beautiful” plan, aiming to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
However, critics argue this ambition might overshadow more immediate needs of American families.
With Biden’s commitment to honoring Indigenous stewardship, the Pit River Tribe, along with other Native tribes, welcomed the designations and the involvement of local tribes as co-stewards in preserving their rich heritage.
Biden will announce creation of two new national monuments to protect tribal lands in California https://t.co/HOc9cmY445
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) January 7, 2025
“For thousands of years, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have called the lands in the Chuckwalla National Monument home. We are happy to see the designation protect this area that contains thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians,” said tribe chairman Joseph DL Mirelez, cited by Native News Online.
The Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe expressed how these designations bring an overwhelming sense of peace and joy, signaling a step toward healing and restoration.
Tribal groups see this as an opportunity to rebuild relationships with these lands, advocating for co-management agreements that would integrate traditional ecological knowledge into monument stewardship.
Despite the high objectives, this decision also faces practical challenges. Biden’s vision must navigate issues related to energy requirements and economic interests.
With the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla monuments located within regions critical to renewable energy development, the administration walks a fine line between conservation goals and energy needs.
“The monument upholds the balance of natural and cultural resource protection and renewable energy development that a wide range of stakeholders forged for the region through the Department of the Interior’s 2016 Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP),” the White House said in a statement.
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