Officials from President Obama’s administration and a congressman will be in Southern California on Tuesday to hear opinions on U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s proposal to have much of Route 66’s Mojave Desert from Needles to Barstow declared a national monument.
The Press-Enterprise reports the public hearing will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Whitewater Preserve at 9160 Whitewater Canyon Road in Whitewater, California, near Palm Springs.
Among those who will attend the hearing are U.S. Department of the Interior deputy secretary Mike Connor, U.S. Department of Agriculture under-secretary for natural resources and environment Robert Bonnie and U.S. Rep. Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley.
Feinstein, D-Calif., has tried for six years to get congressional approval for the Mojave Trails National Monument. She now is urging President Obama to use his executive authority to declare that part of Mojave Desert — that includes Route 66 — a national monument.
And it seems Obama is leaning that direction. According to the newspaper, holding a public hearing is one of the steps necessary for such a presidential declaration.
On Oct. 1, Rep. Cook introduced a competing bill that instead would make the Mojave Trails a special management area that would allow mining and off-road vehicle usage.
Patrick Donnelly of the Amargosa Conservancy already has weighed in on Cook’s proposal, calling it “fundamentally out of step with the hopes and desires of desert residents and desert lovers from across the country.”
The fact there suddenly is competing legislation for the Mojave Trails National Monument after years of inactivity in Congress also indicates Obama likely will make the declaration.
So it appears it’s not if the Mojave Trails National Monument occurs, but when.
(A view of the Mojave Desert from Route 66 by SP8254 via Flickr)
I too will be one of the speakers at this event. The van that we took on the road in July will also be there. Any roadie or persons with interest are invited to join us.