Earlier in May, the Department of Interior provided their update on the progress being made with 30 x 30, the Biden Administration’s initiative to “conserve” 30 percent of the land and water in the United States by 2030. In one of the news briefs from the America The Beautiful newsletter it was noted, “With more than 41 million acres already conserved, President Biden is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any president in history.”
When the 30 x 30 program was announced and was initiated by Executive Order, there were a lot of questions over what exactly “conserving” 30 percent of the land and water in the U.S. actually meant. There were many concerns over how this would be dealt with and if there were intentions of classifying “conservation” by implementing “preservation” or non-use of natural resources.
There were assurances that this wasn’t the case and that “working lands” would also be maintained. The actual approach would suggest otherwise…
As time has gone on, the reality of the program clearly indicates that to be counted as “conservation” a designation is necessary. The May America The Beautiful newsletter unmistakably indicates by their coverage of expanded National Monuments (dictated by Presidential decree), expansion of U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Preserves and the celebration of finalization of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Conservation and Landscape Health Rule that “conservation” involves restrictions and limitations on productive use of lands under the federal government’s control.
Oversight of the Administration’s efforts to lock away lands and water seem to be a developing issue that deserves greater attention. The House Natural Resources Committee recently shared their frustrations over the manner in which their request for information has been playing out.
On top of the 30 x 30 program to lock away land and water, recent news accounts have shared that the Biden Administration plans to protect and restore eight million acres of wetlands over the next six years. This new development comes on the heals of the Administration not liking the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling over what constitutes a wetland that falls under the jurisdiction of federal regulations. They maintain that now over 60 percent of the wetlands that they would like to regulate and no longer within their reach, using their interpretation of the Clean Water Act.
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