In a letter sent today to Interior Sec. Deb Haaland, 22 Republican members of the House Natural Resources Committee voiced concerns about the administration’s initiative to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 and requested more opportunities for engagement on its implementation.
In noting a March 30 meeting between congressional staff and administration, the letter stated that administration officials “could not or refused to define basic components of the initiative” and “could not articulate the metrics that would be used to assess success” in reaching the 30% goal. It further stated that questions about which lands would be impacted and which agencies would manage additional lands remain unanswered, and that administration officials did not disclose the extent to which western states would be expected to “bear the brunt of federal land acquisition,” whether land conservation would be spread across the country, and the impact of the initiative on energy development.
The letter also voiced concerns over the lack of economic analyses on implementation recommendations being developed by the administration, the potential economic and social impacts of 30×30 on fishing communities, and the implications of 30×30 for federal land multiple use mandates, and called for considering revenue loss in decisions about land and water designations.
To provide further clarity, the letter called for clear parameters, defined foundational principles, and concrete definitions and processes in the recommendations being developed for the Climate Task Force, as well as several more briefing sessions in addition to one-on-one meetings with Committee members.
