President Barack Obama is to travel to Hawaii this week to mark the new designation of the expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marina National Monument which he signed despite strong opposition from the Hawaii fishing industry.
Obama’s signing of the proclamation Friday quadruples in size the Hawaii monument originally created by President George W. Bush in 2006.
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will contain some 582,578 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas.
