President Joe Biden plans to expand two national monuments in California – one, a mountainous wilderness area east of Los Angeles, and another with tree-covered rolling hillsides north of Napa – in the coming weeks, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
“This is huge, to put it as succinctly and as clearly as I can,” Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California, a longtime advocate for expanding both monuments, told CNN. The exact timing of an expansion declaration is unclear, but it is likely in the coming weeks – and could coincide with Earth Day, the sources said.National monuments are areas of historic, cultural or natural significance that are designated for federal protection. The redrawn boundaries for the California monuments will serve several purposes, including protecting sacred sites for Native American tribes, conserving land and expanding public access to the outdoors.
During the first three years of his term, Biden has conserved more than 24 million acres of public lands, most recently designating a new national monument near the Grand Canyon – the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument. Biden has also designated new monuments in Nevada and Colorado, and restored protections forPadilla said he applauded the Biden administration for “utilizing every tool in the toolbox, working with Congress when he can and using his executive authority when he needs to.
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