this evening former psident -- former president donald trump live at 6:00 p.m. on c-span, c-span now, or online at c-span.org. president biden announced two new national nine nimitz --

monuments. spirit mountain would be the largest protected area so far under the biden administration. the president also announced he has directed the secretary of commerce to begin the process of designating a new national marine sanctuary.

>> please, please have a seat. thank you very, very much. >> the mojave people hold it in our hearts, air mountain lays within the landscape of this pristine land of southern

nevada. it is a place we know as our creation. it is a beginning of our traditional songs and it is a place that native nations throughout the southwest hold sacred. when the president committed to protecting the sacred -- sacred area, our community was filled with joy. what had once been a dream for our people seemed possible. since the beginning of the biden administration, the president has demonstrated the commitment to respect tribal nations and our nation to nation relationship. under his leadership, we have a seat at the table and we have seen an unprecedented era of opportunity for our tribal communities. we are all grateful to the president for taking historic action to combat the crisis and conserve our tribal land and

waters. the members of the fort mojave indian tribe. and the fort mojave tribal council, it is my honor to introduce the president of the united states, the honorable joe biden. ♪ for nevada, and a marine sanctuary. live coverage on c-span. ♪ pres. biden: please, have a seat. thank you very much. williams, thanks for the introduction and your leadership for the tribe. it was great to meet you last week in nevada. and thank you, secretary for hosting the white house conservation summit here. i want to thank you for all of your fellow cabinet members and

the federal employees across agencies to carry out this historic conservation plan across our nation because it is a big deal. we are grateful to have incredible partners, including members of congress, tribal leaders, conservation advocates all here today. since my first week in office, i issued an executive order establishing the country's first ever national conservation goal. we called it the -- america the beautiful. it is a nationwide campaign to protect and conserve by 2030 at least 30% of the lands and waters that support and sustain our nation. last year on earth day i signed an executive order to protect america's forests and harness the power of nature in the fight against climate change. i'm here to talk about the progress we have made. it is my dutch in my first year in office we protected more lands and waters that any

american president since john kennedy. [applause] pres. biden: with help of members of congress here today i signed a bipartisan infrastructure law and the inflation reduction act, the largest investment in parliament and environment of justice and conservation ever, anywhere in the world. for the past two years, these investments have helped protect our iconic outdoor spaces, preserve our historic sites and make our nation more resilient to the devastating impacts of climate change. we have also relied on important partners to help us meet these goals. farmers and ranchers have stewardship practice across 15 million acres of private land and in areas of south dakota.

in alaska we protected a national forest in the crystal bay. [applause] pres. biden: it'spres. biden: dashing like -- pres. biden: we restored things the previous administration rollback. the northeast canyons and the marine monument. last year -- [applause] pres. biden: last year i had the honor of visiting camp hill continental divide in colorado, it was the first monument we added for my ministration. this matters because when we conserve our country's national -- natural gifts, we are not just protecting the lives of people who depend on them like the family farms and outdoor recreation businesses, rural communities, welcoming visitors across the country in the world.

we are protecting the heart and soul of our national pride. there protecting pieces of history, telling our story that will be told for generations upon generations to come. our national wonders are literally the envy of the world. they have always been and always will be essential to our heritage as a people and our identity as a nation. that is why the budget i released earlier this month includes new funding to increase access to our natural areas for americans from all backgrounds. we will continue to take aggressive steps toward conservation with big actions i am about to announce today. first, i am proud to use my authority with the antiquities act to establish -- and i want you to know it is a big deal, i am having trouble -- i got it. [applause]

pres. biden: [indiscernible] in nevada, one of our most beautiful land states, finding together one of the largest contiguous wildlife -- of the united states, 500,000 acres. breathtaking valleys, mountain ranges, rich in biodiversity, sacred lands that are essential to the creation stories of so many tribes who have been here since time immemorial. it is a place of reverence and spirituality, a place of healing. now we will be recognized for its significance and be preserved forever. [applause] pres. biden: i look forward to visiting myself and i want to thank my friends in congress who fought so hard for this day to

become possible. senators jacky rosen, representative susie lee, and a special thanks for your partnership. the second thing we are doing is protecting the range in texas. [applause] pres. biden: thank you representatives for your leadership. i hope you will still have reasons to call me because you called me a lot for this one. [laughter] pres. biden: this is managed by the united states army and tells the story of the tribal nations who lived there and the members of the armed forces who trained in those lands. it is also a place of incredible beauty. and right now as winter gives way to spring, mexican gold

poppies are bursting into bloom. what i wanted to do was have all of this on a video behind me. because when you see it it is breathtaking. transforming desert plains and hills in a sea of vibrant yellow and orange, framed in the rugged mountains of the blue sky. the people of el paso have fought to protect this for 50 years. their work has finally paid off. [applause] pres. biden: now we will create access to outdoors for communities and parks, and we are going to create spaces that are harder and harder to find. importantly, it will be preserved for future generations. the third thing we are doing today, i'm issuing a presidential memorandum directing the secretary of commerce to immediately consider designated 777,000 square miles of the pacific ocean southwest

of hawaii as a new national marine sanctuary. [applause] pres. biden: you know -- [applause] pres. biden: an area larger than alaska and colorado, three times the size of texas, that is no small tomorrow -- small amount of land. will make it the largest area of ocean with the highest level of protection and it will help meet the goal i said when i got elected of protecting and conserving 30% of our oceans. it is a network of islands and reefs where waters are filled with the most diverse marine life on the planet. sharks, marlins, tunas, turtles, whales, coral forests. any that are threatened and

endangered. i want to thank senator brian chance, maisie -- and representative and. -- ed. and many native hawaiians and island leaders. who have worked tirelessly to protect our oceans. i want to thank you. thank you. it would not have happened without you. and that is not all we are doing today. earlier you heard secretary holland announce she is taking steps to modernize the public lands, to put conservation on an equal footing with development, to safeguard more places for people to camp and fish. and we will be moving ahead with a strategy to conserve the wildlife across agencies and our entire landscape.

whether it is the national park service or the bureau of land management or the forest service, private landowners. need to be coordinated to make sure the habitats we are conserving along migration routes, no matter where or who is in charge of the land. today we are releasing the first-ever united states ocean climate action plan, to harness the tremendous power of the ocean to help in the full -- fight against the climate crisis. [applause] pres. biden: we know and you will know that we can reduce emissions by building offshore wind farms and better protect our coastal and fishing communities from worsening storms, changing fisheries and other impacts of climate change. i'm also committed to working with the tribal leaders here as well as senator patty murray, cantwell, and representative mike simpson to bring healthy

and abundant salmon back to the colorado river system. [applause] pres. biden: i will close with this. our country's national treasure has defined our identity as a nation. they are a birthright. we have to pass it down to generation after generation. they unite us. that is why our conservation work is so important. it provides a bridge to our past and to our future, not just for today but for all ages. rachel carson, environmentalist and author wrote quote "those who contemplate the beauty of their find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." i will share with you today the reverence for the power and promise of the country's extraordinary natural wonders. and they are extraordinary.

when i was vice president, i visited most of the national parks and brought my family, going down the colorado river, incredible places. we have got to keep it going. we've got to keep the faith and remember who we are. we are the united states of america and we owe to our children, our grandchildren and our great great grandchildren and all to come what we have and what we can preserve. there is nothing beyond our capacity if we work together. god bless you all and may god protect our troops. thank you. [applause] ♪ pres. biden: thank you. thank you, thank you. ♪