Staff Reports
Joe Biden may be heading into the sunset of his presidency, but he seems to have found a new source of energy: spite. In a move that could only be labeled as revenge against the previous administration, Biden is resorting to a nearly century-old law to thwart the incoming president’s energy initiatives. Yes, it seems old grudges die hard in the world of politics, especially when there’s land to protect and a narrative to spin.
Biden is wielding the 119-year-old Antiquities Act like a child holding a toy he isn’t willing to share. His latest power play involves designating two national monuments in California, totaling over 800,000 acres, all under the pretext of preserving lands that are supposedly “precious” to native tribes. It’s hard to ignore the fact that this has the late-night political revenge energy of a sitcom plotline—lame duck edition, starring Joe Biden as the not-so-quiet antagonist.
Vengeful Biden Uses Century-Old Law to Thwart Trump Plan https://t.co/46Rdy4Q387
— Fernando Oliver, Esq. (@Fernand46357857) January 8, 2025
During his tenure, former President Trump made no friends among the environmental zealots when he attempted to peel back the national monuments designated by prior presidents, particularly that of Barack Obama. But in this latest move, Biden is stepping in with plans for the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument up north. The timing is fitting considering the wildfires in Los Angeles that also thwarted Biden’s plans for a grand reveal in Southern California. Irony has a funny way of making a cameo in political theater.
The Biden administration is making no bones about its intentions to undermine the oil and gas industry, and they are certainly not mincing words when it comes to the numbers. The White House proudly announces that Biden has now “protected” 674 million acres of U.S. lands and waters from oil drilling. Of course, “protected” could easily be swapped out with “handcuffed” when describing the economic impact on American energy independence. Everyone knows that reduced energy production generally translates to higher energy prices, but it seems those details are conveniently left out of the press releases.
Not one to back down from a fight, Trump has thrown down the gauntlet, promising to flip the script on Biden’s bans as soon as he assumes office. His declarations of sabotaging Biden’s aggressive energy policies are not just bravado; they echo a determination to revive fossil fuel production, kickstarting a process to ease the pain at the gas pump. After all, Trump aims to dismantle Biden’s so-called “green new scam,” which is exactly what it sounds like—it raises eyebrows and costs while doing little for the average American. So far, it looks like the only thing Biden’s administration is successfully protecting is the future high cost of living for working-class families.
