"Biden plans to invoke the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president broad powers to withdraw federal waters from future leasing. A federal judge ruled in 2019 that such withdrawals cannot be undone without an act of Congress."
'Biden to block oil drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. waters"
"The president will sign memorandums prohibiting future oil and gas leasing across parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/01/04/biden-offshore-oil-drilling/
"The Pit River Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of eleven bands of indigenous peoples of California. They primarily live along the Pit River in the northeast corner of California.[1] Their name also is spelled as "Pitt River" in some historical records"
Approximately 200 AD: New technology, the bow and arrow, is introduced into the Pit River area.
Pre-1800 - Pit River bands of indigenous natives were living in abundance for thousands of years. For thousands of years, numerous indigenous villages were situated around and along Achoma (the Pit River) and out onto the surrounding plains, hills, mountains, and valleys. The people utilized the natural resources of their land to the fullest. In addition to harvesting deer, salmon, trout, rabbit, birds, and other small mammals, they often moved around their territory and gathered acorns, roots, herbs, and fruits, as each came into their season.
Pit River artists and craftspeople apparently used both basalt and much obsidian from Glass Mountain to make tools and weapons.
Obsidian arrowheads and obsidian flakes from tool-making have been found all over the valley from the river banks to the hillsides and high in mountain hunting camp areas.
1827-1830s - European-American/Canadian fur trappers and explorers began passing through the Pit River area
1830s - Many Pit River natives died from imported disease epidemics.
1849- Gold Rush begins, bringing a new huge wave of migrants into California, many of whom were ruthless abusers and murderers of Indian people.
1851-53 - U.S. Congress and California Legislature created various laws that deny Indians of land rights and effectively extinguished all aboriginal title in the state, paving the way for continued genocide and land theft, with no treaties or protections for the Pit River Indians.
1850s and 1860s: The movement of white emigrants into Pit River territory caused more and more Pit River displacement and changes to the environment. The emigrants often had no respect for the delicate balance of nature, grazing their cattle and horses in prime hunting and gathering areas. A steady flow of emigrants arrived determined to occupy Pit River land and began the process of confiscating and fencing off the land.
1850s - European-American immigrant expansion interest and activity in Pit River region began. The US government, military forces, and settlers invaded, attacked, displaced, and killed the majority of Pit River Indians, with no treaties or compensation made for land seized.
Regionally (intensifying in the mid 1850s), the European invaders destroyed most of the Pit River natives, and their way of life. The Pit Rivers (and virtually all California indigenous bands) were repeatedly abused, killed, and brutally massacred, as the invaders raided village after village in countless incidents, including some more well-known battles, such as the "Wintoon War" and the "Pit River War".
Here is one account of some of those ruthless attacks: "War was declared on the Indians in 1858. General William Kibbe and Captain I. G. Messec led military and civilian soldiers against the Indians from Trinity County all the way to the Fall River Valley. These soldiers were known as Kibbe's Guards and were ruthless, efficient Indian killers." Many Indians surrendered under the threat of death or starvation, others were captured, untold numbers were killed, and their villages and food supplies were destroyed in the battles.
In 1859, 700 captured Pit River Indians were forcibly taken to the Round Valley Reservation in Mendocino County for internment. The number of soldiers reported killed in the attacks varies; one account mentions 25, while another mentions 90. The main war ended in 1859. Although the vast majority of Pit River Indians had been killed or forcibly moved out of the area, some remained, hidden away, and over 500 of those who were sent away eventually returned to their homeland, only to find white settlers taking over more and more property.
By 1868, the US Army under General George Crook took control of many upriver Achoma areas. Many stories of brutal massacres and senseless racist killings of Pit River people have been handed down through the oral tradition. The Pit River area was also impacted by economic factors. Government timber land went on sale in 1878, and allowed the purchase of up to 160 acres at $2.50 an acre. Outlying areas were victim to a speculative boom as a result, and large tracts of land passed into private hands. The area was subsequently heavily logged. The over-harvesting of timber in Big Bend region remains an ecological problem today. Most of the once vast and diverse forests in the area have been destroyed by clear-cutting and other industrial logging practices and replaced by tree farms.
The arrival of European-American settlers and the occupation of the Pit River territories disrupted the safety of the Pit River people and their traditional food supply. The Pit River people never signed a treaty with the United States or the State of California; their land was simply illegally confiscated. Many "Pit Rivers" were displaced against their will, and some were murdered for their land. Some returned or resettled nearby when they could, but countless people were cut off from their extended families and their traditional food sources. Into the 1900s, many Pit River people survived in poverty and some were hired out as ranch hands, mill workers, forestry workers, and other forms of manual labor.
In 1974, the Pitt River tribe claimed almost one million acres of land that was then held by Pacific Gas & Electric Co, Southern Pacific Railroad, the Hearst Corporation, the Los Angeles Times, and four other companies. However, despite the judge presiding over the case agreeing that the Pit River tribe had not received justice and that the loss of land was wrong, rejected the case.
As of December 2024, the tribe is petitioning the U.S. government to protect up to 200 square miles (520 km2) by designation of the Sattitla National Monument, with co-stewardship by the tribe.
This includes Sattitla Volcano, a very large shield volcano.
As of January, 2025 the U.S. administration is expected to designate
the Sattitla National Monument."
Sáttítla, commonly known as Medicine Lake Highlands, is a 200,000-acre area in Northern California near Mount Shasta. Overlapping the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests, Sáttítla encompasses lava flows, lakes, ice caves and sugar pine forests. A wide range of critters like blue ribbon trout, black bears, Sierra martens, bald eagles and northern spotted owls live in the area.
Sáttítla is also known for its aquifer that collects snow. The water is then transferred from Fall River Springs to Lake Shasta and eventually reaches millions of people in San Francisco Bay who count on it as a source of clean drinking water.
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"Sáttítla has been the home to tribes for more than 10,000 years.
The Pit River, Modoc, Wintu, Karuk, Klamath, Yana, and Shasta tribes are culturally tied to the forest,
historically dependent on the land for their livelihood, values and traditional practices. Their relationship to the land is the reason that members of these communities have been strong advocates for the need to preserve and protect Sáttítla. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_River_Tribe
