Joe Biden isn’t just wrapping up his time in the Oval Office—he’s leaving behind a legacy that’s bound to ruffle some feathers, especially for Donald Trump. In a series of bold moves, Biden has pulled out some seriously old laws to make life a little harder for his successor.
And guess what? The drama is juicy.
Biden vs. Trump: The Battle of the Laws
Just one day after using a 72-year-old law to block Trump’s offshore drilling ambitions, Biden went even further. This time, he dusted off a 119-year-old piece of legislation—the Antiquities Act—and made a major power play to protect a vast swath of land in southern California.
With the stroke of a pen, Biden created the Chuckwalla National Monument, covering over 624,000 acres where the Colorado and Mojave Deserts meet. And that’s not all—another area, the Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments, was also designated, pushing the total newly protected area to nearly 850,000 acres.
A “Not-So-Sleepy” Move
Despite Trump’s nickname for him, “Sleepy Joe” just proved he’s anything but slow. By invoking the Antiquities Act, Biden is leaving a green footprint that’s hard to erase. This move also adds to his ambitious conservation goals. According to the White House, these designations bring Biden’s total protected U.S. lands and waters to 674 million acres.
That’s a huge win for environmentalists, but it’s a big thorn in Trump’s side. Back in 2017, Trump tried to scale back national monument protections, claiming it was all about freeing up land for oil and gas development. Critics, however, argued it was a ploy to sell off public lands to corporate interests.
Trump’s Take: “We’ll Drill, Baby, Drill!”
Never one to stay quiet, Trump fired back from Mar-a-Lago. “They took away 625 million acres of offshore drilling… nobody else does that,” he said, vowing to undo Biden’s actions on his first day in office. “We’ll go to the courts if we need to,” he added.
But undoing Biden’s move won’t be easy. For instance, Biden also invoked the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, blocking new fossil fuel developments in key areas like Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea. That law doesn’t make it easy for future presidents to reverse such decisions without Congress stepping in.
Beyond Politics: Conservation on a Grand Scale
While the political clash grabs headlines, Biden’s actions are about more than just sparring with Trump. The Chuckwalla National Monument is a cornerstone in a groundbreaking initiative: the creation of the Moab to Mojave Conservation Corridor. Stretching nearly 600 miles from southwestern Utah to southern California, this corridor will protect Indigenous lands, wildlife, and stunning natural landscapes. It’s a game-changer for conservation, creating the largest corridor of protected lands in the continental U.S.
What’s Next?
The Biden-Trump showdown over conservation and drilling is far from over. Biden’s legacy of protecting millions of acres of land and water is sure to resonate for decades—but it’s also likely to be a key battlefield in the political tug-of-war between green energy and fossil fuel development.
One thing’s for sure: this isn’t just about laws and policies. It’s about the future of our planet, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.