Biden creates national monument in Arizona, bans new mining
US President Joe Biden has undertaken a two-state tour to open up a new national monument that will ban new mining activities and to unveil a number of new clean energy programs.
Accompanied by an Air Force One plane-load of journalists and advisors, President Biden flew to northern Arizona to officially announce his fifth new national monument, which was created following a request from a dozen native American tribes.
New mining proposals have been banned in the new monument area which covers nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon National Park, however, according to Ali Zaidi a National Climate Advisor to the President, existing mining rights will be recognised.
Mr Zaidi said the agenda for the new monument dedication was laid out in a day-one Presidential executive order, which included a goal to protect 30% of US land by 2030.
Mr Zaidi revealed that the literal name of the monument called Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni means “where the Indigenous people roam, our ancestral footprints.”
Clean energy initiatives in New Mexico
The second part of the President’s journey saw him fly to New Mexico to highlight a number of historic clean energy proposals and to officially unveil a new wind tower manufacturing facility.
According to Mr Zaidi, the President’s economic agenda has already led to over $150 billion in private-sector investments in domestic clean energy manufacturing.
The new investment has already led to a tripling of electric vehicle sales in the nation while domestic solar capacity is forecast to track to increase five times by next year.
Surge in US clean energy factories
Mr Zaidi stated that a boom in US clean energy manufacturing has already led to the opening of 100 new factories.
Another major focus of the US government’s Inflation Reduction Act has been a major expansion of clean energy transmission lines.
The President has also supported four new offshore wind projects which are tipped to power millions of homes along the US East Coast.
The US has also expanded solar manufacturing capacity to provide for 8 million homes worth of solar panels.