Members of Congress, tribal leaders and other elected officials and dozens of groups across California are anxiously trying to determine if news reports that President Donald Trump plans to rescind the creation of Chuckwalla National Monument and Sattitla Highlands National Monument are true. Many also pleaded with him not to do it, or vowed to battle hard if he does.
“I hope the Trump Administration doesn’t alter Chuckwalla National Monument. Chuckwalla is extremely popular across the political spectrum and was advocated for by a large, bipartisan coalition,” California Assembly Member Greg Wallis, R-Bermuda Dunes, said. “Our local communities know that safeguarding our desert is good for the economy and is smart for the well-being of generations to come.”
Others noted no White House executive order or other official action has been taken by the Trump administration regarding either monument.
“As of now, no decision has been made regarding the Chuckwalla National Monument. We are working hard to gain clarity,” said U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Indio. “One thing is for sure, if the designation is rescinded we’re going to fight like hell to defend it.”
The New York Times reported early Saturday in an ongoing live blog post on myriad Trump actions that he had issued an executive order eliminating the two monuments, but did not link to the order or give any other sourcing. The Washington Post reported Saturday evening that the White House confirmed that Trump plans to eliminate the two massive national monuments in California, created by President Joe Biden shortly before he left office. The White House press office did not respond to requests for comment by The Desert Sun/USA Today network.
But numerous officials quickly spoke out against their possible elimination on Saturday, and the Trump administration could face widespread public outcry if he seeks to eliminate the 624,000 acre Chuckwalla monument and the 224,000 acre Sattitla monument. More than 800,000 people signed a petition seeking the creation of the two California based sites and others. Every town and city near the Chuckwalla National Monument sent letters of support except for the city of Blythe, which has said it wants the monument shrunk, although not eliminated.
On Saturday, Iris Gutierrez, executive director of the High Desert Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said, “I’m one of more than 300 business leaders who called for Chuckwalla National Monument to be established, knowing that our protected desert landscapes draw people from all over to explore the outdoors. We should protect this economic engine, not put it on the chopping block. Any attacks on our public lands will be a setback for local businesses and threaten the local quality of life we all enjoy.”
Similarly, advocates for the Sattitla monument expressed outrage.
“I’m shocked to learn that after decades of work to protect Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, the White House is attempting to alter it without talking to anyone in the community,” said Mt. Shasta City Councilmember Casey Glaubman. “This move jeopardizes the area’s exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities and crucially important reserves of fresh, clean water. Tribal nations, local elected officials, business leaders, and local sportsmen have all strongly supported the designation and were engaged in a years-long process to make it happen. Everyone in our community agrees that this landscape deserves permanent protection.”
Muddy legal grounds for presidential rollback of monuments
It is not clear under what legal authority Trump could roll back Biden’s two proclamations establishing the monuments, which were made per the Antiquities Act of 1906. Historically, limited rollbacks or changes to national monuments have occurred only via Congressional action. After Trump sharply shrunk the acreage of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments, created by President Barack Obama, several environmental groups sued, but the lawsuits were suspended after Biden restored the full acreage.
National monuments and parks are overseen by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, which also did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday. Trump’s Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, issued an order the day he was sworn in ordering an immediate 15-day review of all national monuments and similar lands for energy and mineral potential. In a speech to a national conference of tribal leaders a few weeks later he said they were not going modify national parks or monuments. But Trump and he have both said repeatedly that they want to maximize oil drilling and other energy and mineral production on federal lands.
If the rollbacks do occur, “Trump’s gutting of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monuments (would be) a gruesome attack on our system of public lands,” said Ileene Anderson, California desert director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Both these monuments were spearheaded by local Tribes with overwhelming support from local and regional communities including businesses and recreationalists. “
She also noted there aren’t many minerals and there are no known oil deposits in either. “Any tiny amounts of minerals in these areas aren’t worth the destruction of priceless wildlife habitat, sacred Tribal lands and world-class recreation.”
Adding to the confusion on Saturday, the White House posted a fact sheet close to midnight on Friday about numerous new Trump executive orders rolling back Biden actions, including one supposedly “terminating proclamations declaring a million acres of new national monuments that lock up vast amounts of land that lock up economic development and energy production.”
But there was no companion executive order issued, and by midday Saturday, that portion of the fact sheet had been removed. A related action rolling back a Biden order promoting tribal compacts, contracting, co-management and co-stewardship of federal programs remained though.
Janet Wilson is senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun and co-authors USA Today Climate Point. She can be reached at jwilson@gannett.com
Greg Wallis represents California’s 47th Assembly District.
