Joe Biden will classify two gigantic natural spaces, one in Texas and the other in Nevada, as protected “National Monuments” on Tuesday and plans to create a marine sanctuary in the Pacific, according to the White House.
The American president, who must speak during the day at an event devoted to the country’s natural resources, will thus protect the territory of Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada (west), which is a sacred place for the local Native American tribes. , and that of Castner Range in Texas (south), a total area of more than 2,000 square kilometers, the executive said in a statement.
The status of “national monument” gives the places thus designated protection against any new economic or real estate development project, because of their natural or historical interest. It is also synonymous with tourist benefits.
Joe Biden will also initiate a reflection on the creation of a marine sanctuary around the “distant islands of the Pacific”, a set of seven islands and atolls sheltering a rich marine fauna and flora.
The 80-year-old Democrat has “placed under protection during the first year of his mandate more territories and aquatic spaces than any other president since John Fitzgerald Kennedy”, assured the White House.
She also recalls that Joe Biden passed “the most ambitious climate law” in American history, in particular to support the energy transition.
The US president has been widely criticized recently by environmental groups for giving the green light to a disputed oil drilling project in Alaska, called “Willow”.