Before this week, President Obama added more acreage to national monuments than any previous president. The final 1.35 million acres, designated this week, are a controversial final flourish.
Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis report: "President Obama on Wednesday created new national monuments in a sacred tribal site in southeastern Utah and in a swath of Nevada desert, after years of political fights over the fate of the areas."
The new national monuments culminate a substantial record for the protection of public lands. President Obama "has invoked his executive power to create national monuments 29 times during his tenure, establishing or expanding protections for more than 553 million acres of federal lands and waters."
The article details the political fight over each of the swaths of lands designated by Obama. In Utah, Obama designated 1.35 million acres to create the Bears Ears National Monument. That new monument also includes a unique management structure that includes an inter-tribal commission.
For the second new monument, Obama designated 300,000 acres for the Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada, which is under threat, according to environmentalists, from the expansion of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
FULL STORY: With new monuments in Nevada, Utah, Obama adds to his environmental legacy
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