New Nevada Monument Earns Praise from Tribes, Criticisms from Governor
AllSides Summary
President Joe Biden's declaration of a new national monument in Nevada was praised by tribal nations but criticized by the state's Republican governor.
The Details: The Avi Kwa Ame National Monument will protect roughly 506,000 acres, including Nevada’s Spirit Mountain and the surrounding desert. The area is sacred to Indigenous groups. It's also reportedly rich in minerals, including lithium.
Key Quotes: Timothy Williams, chairman of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, said Avi Kwa Ame "is a place we know as our creation. It is the beginning of our traditional songs. And it is the place that Native nations throughout the Southwest hold sacred." Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) said the declaration will "cost our state jobs and economic opportunity" and make "land more expensive and more difficult to develop for affordable housing and critical infrastructure projects." He also said the Biden administration didn't respond to his concerns.
For Context: Biden's designation used the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that allows the president to protect land for cultural and natural resources. The move is a step toward Biden's goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
How the Media Covered It: Left-rated sources focused on the monument's importance to tribes and how it'll protect the land from development. Some right-rated sources focused on Lombardo's comments and the limits on drilling, mining, and renewable energy efforts. The Nevada Independent reported that Lombardo "was inaugurated after proposals for the monument had largely been finalized."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
‘It’s a place of reverence:’ Biden designates Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument
Following a multiyear campaign backed by tribal nations, conservationists and local governments in Southern Nevada, President Joe Biden used his executive authority on Tuesday to establish a new national monument encompassing roughly 500,000 acres across Southern Nevada.
The national monument spans a biodiverse desert ecosystem but centers around Avi Kwa Ame, or “Spirit Mountain,” a sacred and significant landscape for Indigenous communities across the Southwest. In remarks at a conservation summit in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, the president called the landscape “a place of reverence. It’s a place of spirituality....
From the Right
Nevada governor slams Biden for locking up mineral-rich land in new monuments
Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) blasted President Joe Biden on Tuesday for locking up 500,000 acres of mineral-rich land in Nevada and Texas. He said the move would be tough on Nevadans for generations.
Lombardo said the White House did not respond to any of his concerns before the announcement of the 506,000-acre Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada. Lombardo said his office reached out.
"Since I took office, the Biden White House has not consulted with my administration about any of the details of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame national monument which, given the size of the proposal,...
From the Left
Biden designates area sacred to tribes as largest national monument of his presidency
President Joe Biden on Tuesday officially designated a new national monument in Southern Nevada while speaking at a conservation event at the Interior Department.
At more than 506,000 acres, the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is one of the largest tracts of land to come under federal protection so far during Biden’s presidency, preserving Nevada’s Spirit Mountain and the desert around it.
“It’s a place of reverence, a place of spirituality, a place of healing,” Biden said Tuesday. “It will now be recognized for the significance it holds and be preserved forever.”...
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