Nevada governor blasts Biden for locking up mineral-rich land: 'A historic mistake'

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo heavily criticized President Biden for his designation of a new national monument in Nevada, arguing it would negatively impact residents for generations.

On Tuesday, Biden announced he would establish the so-called Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada, a region that includes Spirit Mountain and used as a sacred space by Indigenous tribes, according to the White House. Lombardo, though, said he had contacted Biden about the 506,814-acre monument designation in his state, but never received a response.

"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, who took office in January, 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."

The Castle Mountains within Avi Kwa Ame are pictured on Feb. 13 in Boulder City, Nevada. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The newly-minted national monument, located near multiple national wilderness areas including the Mojave Desert, is home to both significant mineral reserves and land where energy developers have proposed large renewable energy projects. Nevada contains massive deposits of lithium, a key mineral for green energy technologies like electric vehicle batteries.

In 2015, Crescent Peak Renewables, a subsidiary of a Swedish energy firm, proposed a 500-megawatt wind energy project across more than 30,000 acres of federal lands in the area where Biden declared the monument. The Trump administration ultimately denied approving permits for the project, citing the 306 active mining claims that would be disturbed by its construction.

Then, last year, the company proposed a scaled-down version of the project across nearly 5,000 acres. However, the entire project is unlikely to move forward since it is entirely located in the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument.

Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo speaks on Nov. 14, 2022 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

"This kind of ‘Washington Knows Best’ policy might win plaudits from unaccountable special interests, but it’s going to cost our state jobs and economic opportunity — all while making land more expensive and more difficult to develop for affordable housing and critical infrastructure projects," said Lombardo.

"The federal confiscation of 506,814 acres of Nevada land is a historic mistake that will cost Nevadans for generations to come."

In addition to establishing the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, Biden also designated the Castner Range National Monument in western Texas near El Paso.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit at the U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

During remarks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit on Tuesday, Biden lauded both monuments.

"[Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is] one of our most beautiful landscapes that ties together one of the largest contiguous wildlife corridors in the United States: 500,000 acres," he said. "It’s breathtaking. Breathtaking deserts, valleys, mountain ranges. Rich in biodiversity. Sacred lands that are central to the creation story of so many Tribes who have been here since time immemorial."

"[Castner Range is] also a place of incredible beauty.," he added. "As winter gives way to spring, Mexican gold poppies are bursting into bloom. You see — I wish I — what I wanted to do was have all this in a video behind me here because when you see it, it’s just breathtaking. Transforming desert plains and hills into a sea of vibrant yellow and oranges, framed with the rugged mountains and the blue sky."