President Biden Announces Creation of Two New National Monuments and a Marine Sanctuary to Protect Half a Million Acres of Federal Land

President Biden announced Tuesday the establishment of two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas, as well as the creation of a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii. The move will bring more than half a million federal acres under a new set of protections that bar new mining, drilling and other development.

Speaking at a White House summit on conservation action, Mr. Biden said the new national monuments are among the “natural treasures” that “define our identity as a nation.” He called the conservation measures part of an effort to “protect the heart and soul of our national pride.”

“Our national wonders are literally the envy of the world,” the president said in a speech at the Interior Department. “That’s why our conservation work is so important — it provides a bridge to our past and to our future, not just for today but for all ages. It’s a birthright to pass down from generation to generation.”

The announcement comes as Biden remains under fire over last week’s decision to approve a massive and extremely controversial fossil fuel drilling project on federal land in the Alaskan Arctic.

The White House Conservation in Action Summit was held to highlight the importance of conservation and the need to protect the nation’s natural wonders. Biden emphasized the need to preserve these wonders for future generations, saying, “They’re a birthright we have to pass down to generation after generation.”