“Either we will have the right to own property or we will be property.” ~ Wayne Hage
By Pete Kennedy
On January 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued Executive Order (EO) 14008, titled “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” Section 216 of the EO, “Conserving Our Nation’s Lands and Waters,” calls for the United States “working with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, agricultural and forest landowners, fishermen, and other key stakeholders, to achieve the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” Many think the “30×30” means taking 30% of the country’s land and 30% of its water completely out of commission, meaning that livestock grazing, among other activities, would be prohibited on 30% of the nation’s land.
The 30×30 plan raises a number of questions. What is the federal government’s legal authority for this scheme? What percent of the total land in this country does the federal government own? How much of that land does the federal government say is protected? How much land does the federal government need to protect to reach its 30×30 goal? How does the federal government actually define the words “protect” and “conserve”? And most importantly, what do farmers, ranchers, and other private landowners have to watch out for to avoid being snared in 30×30, and what can they do to fight back?
To answer these questions and more, Margaret Byfield, Executive Director of the American Stewards of Liberty (ASL), joins the Food Series. ASL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to restore property rights and the liberties they secure by defending the use of our land and restoring local control. She has first-hand experience with federal land grabs—her father, Nevada rancher Wayne Hage, had a 27-year court battle with the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service over grazing and water rights.
Among other topics, Margaret will cover: the Center for American Progress and its role in 30×30; how the federal government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Nature Conservancy work together to take away the productive use of land; the threat the Endangered Species Act poses to landowners under the 30×30 plan; and federal, state, and local solutions to stop 30×30.
Money & Markets
In Money & Markets this week, John Titus and Catherine will cover the latest events and continue to discuss the financial and geopolitical trends Solari is tracking in 2022. Post questions at the Money & Markets commentary here.
Related Resources:
American Stewards of Liberty – “Stop the 30 x 30 Land Grab”
EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, January 27, 2021, 86 FR 7619 (Sec. 216 on page 7627)
“Peeling Back the Layers of Biden’s 30×30 Land Grab – Margaret Byfield” (Talk at R-CALF Convention, August 2021)
“How Much Nature Should America Keep?” (Matt Lee-Ashley, Center for American Progress)
Resolutions Opposing “30×30”:
Garfield County, Colorado: “Resolution Opposing the Federal Government 30×30 Land Preservation Goal”
Montana Association of Conservation Districts: “21-05: Resolution Opposing the Federal Government’s ‘30×30’ Land Preservation Goal”
Pima Natural Resource Conservation District, Arizona: “Resolution 2021-04-22 Opposing the Federal Government’s ‘30 X 30’ Land Preservation Goal”
Other Information:
“A New National Strategy to Reflect Natural Assets on America’s Balance Sheet” (White House press release, August 18, 2022)
“Wall Street Takeover of Nature Advances with Launch of New Asset Class” (Whitney Webb, Unlimited Hangout, October 13, 2021)
“Net Zero Is Predator Class Policy” (Elizabeth Nickson, Liberty Matters, Issue 13, February 2021; also posted at Substack)
Storm Over Rangelands: Private Rights in Federal Lands by Wayne Hage(Bellevue, WA:Free Enterprise Press, 1989 and later editions)
“American Rancher, Wayne Hage, Sr. Reveals the Secrets of Who Owns America’s Water!”
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