Biden renames Pacific Remote Islands monument to honor Pacific Islands heritage

President Joe Biden issued a January 2, 2025 proclamation renaming the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument as the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and renaming its expansion accordingly. The proclamation amended President George W. Bush’s 2009 monument proclamation and President Barack Obama’s 2014 expansion proclamation under the Antiquities Act. Biden said the change recognized the cultural heritage and Indigenous connections of Pacific Islands peoples and communities. The action did not redraw the monument boundaries, but it changed the official name and conforming language used by federal agencies and maps.