A coalition of lawmakers, conservationists and tribal leaders Tuesday urged President Joe Biden to create nine new national monuments in seven states and to expand two that already exist in California.
The Golden State would be a major beneficiary with three new designations, including the proposed 628,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument in the Southern California desert.
Speaking at a news conference on Capitol Hill, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said he had just introduced a bill to establish the monument and to expand nearby Joshua Tree National Park by nearly 18,000 acres.
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But he said it would happen more quickly if Biden used his executive power under the 1906 Antiquities Act to create the monument.
