Despite having to reschedule the official signing ceremony due to extreme winds in southern California, President Biden today designated Chuckwalla National Monument in the California desert and also Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in northern California. (Enjoy this PBS video of the actual ceremony on January 14.) The Chuckwalla designation honors the cultural significance of desert lands for several Tribal Nations as well as securing over 600,000 acres of carbon-sequestering land from inappropriate...

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The State Lands Commission on December 17 terminated a long-term pipeline right-of-way lease for the Cadiz Water Project, providing another setback in the company's plan to drain a major desert aquifer for profit. Cadiz has publicized its claims that their latest plans with California tribes will provide a beneficial public-private partnership that would benefit "communities in need." Environmental justice advocates argue convincingly against the touted benefits of the plan, as outlined...

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For the third time in two years, MBCA has addressed both continuing and changing concerns about the proposed Sienna Solar and Storage Project in the Lucerne Valley area. The latest letter emphasizes unaddressed points made in our September 22, 2022 letter, as well as significant changes in the latest project proposal compared to the 2017 Planning Project Notice. Our letter also includes references and links to the Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity...

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