Joe Lombardo
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo on Tuesday blasted Joe Biden for unilaterally locking up mineral rich land in his state.
Biden on Tuesday announced he is establishing two new national monuments – Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada, and Castner Range in West Texas – to ‘preserve’ more than 500,000 acres of land.
“The Avi Kwa Ame monument in Southern Nevada will include the peak also known as Spirit Mountain, which is part of the creation story of several tribal nations. The area is a desert landscape that contains a Joshua tree forest and fauna including the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise and Gila monster.” The Hill reported.
But there is more to the story.
It appears Biden unilaterally locked up Nevada’s rare earth mineral mining projects by using his so-called authority under the Antiquities Act.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Biden’s move to lock up 500,000 acres of land in Nevada.
As usual, Biden’s affirmative action spokeswoman said a whole lotta nothing and mumbled something about climate change.
WATCH:
Q: Nevada Gov. @JoeLombardoNV says he opposes designating Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument. Did Biden consult with him?
Karine Jean-Pierre: "This is the president that has taken an aggressive stand on climate." pic.twitter.com/VkaiEql6CI
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 21, 2023
Nevada Governor Lombardo said he reached out to Biden to discuss his concerns over 500,000 acres of land being locked up in his state – some of which contains rare earth mineral mining projects – and Biden has not responded to him.
“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, seems badly out of step,” Lombardo said in a statement.
“Upon learning that the President was considering unilateral action, I reached out to the White House to raise several concerns, citing the potential for terminal disruption of rare earth mineral mining projects and long-planned, bipartisan economic development efforts,” he continued. “While I’m still waiting for a response, I’m not surprised.”
