President Joe Biden designated the first national monument of his administration at Camp Hale, a World War II-era training site in Colorado.
The location is an alpine training site where U.S. soldiers prepared for battles in the Italian Alps during World War II.
Many troops who trained at Camp Hale returned to Colorado after the war and helped create the state’s lucrative ski industry.
While most national monuments protect extraordinary natural landscapes, there are at least 12 other military sites designated as national monuments by other presidents.
“When you think of the natural beauty of Colorado and the history of our nation, you’ll find it here,” Biden said.
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The Biden administration also announced Wednesday it is pausing new mining and oil and gas drilling on 225,000 acres of public land in the Thompson Divide, a natural gas-rich area not far from Camp Hale.
The move is separate from the monument designation.
Citing a need to protect wildlife, the Interior Department said it is initiating a review of a proposed 20-year withdrawal of the area from new leasing. Pre-existing natural gas leases that account for less than 1 percent of active federal leases in Colorado won’t be affected.
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, whose western Colorado district is home to the new restrictions, condemned the move as a “land grab” that would prevent domestic energy production. Meanwhile, Joe O’Dea, Bennet’s Republican challenger, called Biden’s monument designation a “political stunt.”
Should Biden be pausing any more oil and gas drilling right now?
“It’s not changing our economy. It’s not changing the price of gas,” O’Dea said in an interview of the Camp Hale designation. He added that while “Camp Hale’s a special place,” its preservation should have come through Congress. O’Dea called Biden’s unilateral action a “usurpation of power.”
The president’s stop in Colorado on Wednesday was part of a three-state swing out West this week.
Biden headed to California later on Wednesday, where he will hold a pair of events promoting two of his legislative moves and headline a fundraiser for the House Democrats’ campaign arm.
Finally, Biden will stop in Oregon, where Democrats’ grip on the governor’s mansion in Salem is being threatened by an unaffiliated candidate who has captured double-digit support in polling, giving an opening for a Republican to win the race outright in November. Early voting starts in Oregon and Colorado next week and is already underway in California.
He is notably staying away from states where his presence could hurt Democrats; on this trip he’s skipping Nevada and Arizona, where incumbent Democratic senators are battling tough re-election bids.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
