|
While no longer running for president, Joe Biden still has the opportunity to shore up his legacy as one of the most consequential presidents on conservation in history.
"You now have a White House with nothing to think about other than President Biden's legacy, and they have six months to define that," Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, told E&E News.
Biden's conservation legacy is already impressive. His administration has protected over 1.6 million acres of public land using the Antiquities Act and has promulgated important rules that will protect public lands from unfettered oil and gas leasing, as well as allow lands to be leased for restoration.
Designating just one more large national monument before the end of the year would solidify his position as the recent president with the greatest first-term conservation achievement. There are a number of national monument proposals that would get him there, including 660,000 acres of the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument in California, the proposed Dolores River Canyons National Monument in Colorado, and the million-acre Owyhee Canyonlands proposal in eastern Oregon.
But why stop there? Biden could still use the Antiquities Act to put his legacy on par with two-term presidents like Barack Obama, who protected over 550 million acres (the majority of which are at sea), and Bill Clinton, who protected around 6 million acres.
|
Every poll practically everywhere shows that presidential action to protect outstanding cultural and environmental values of public lands is very popular across the political spectrum and an important part of a president’s legacy.”
