"For years now, Native American tribes have sought more protections for the federal lands in the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada that are central to their core beliefs about creation.

But advocates say the effort took on new urgency as renewable energy developers eyed pieces of the same land for projects that could fit into the Biden administration’s push for clean electricity.

Now President Joe Biden is expected soon to designate what proponents are calling the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, covering an estimated 450,000 acres along the border with California overseen by the Bureau of Land Management that also includes critical habitat for the federally threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and other species."

Scott Streater reports for E&E News February 6, 2023. [2]