September 22 marked the first official day of fall, and today marks the first day of the government shutdown. National Parks will remain open, albeit with skeleton crews. Here’s a list of how other services will be affected.
In case you missed it, we hosted a webinar yesterday on Utah’s public lands. Public land use has been a hot topic recently, so we seized the opportunity to host a panel of experts. Our panelists discussed the challenges faced by local communities and strategies to improve collaboration between the federal government and state and local officials. We also hosted a webinar on western public lands earlier this year, which you can watch here.
Earlier this month, Roosevelt Conservation Caucus member and Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), held a hearing on the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. His bipartisan legislation aims to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to help streamline the permitting process and return the law to its intended purpose. We submitted a letter of support, which you can read here. NEPA has been weaponized for far too long, used to delay or block vital infrastructure projects rather than functioning as the procedural safeguard it was intended to be. We have written extensively on the need for NEPA reform and applaud Rep. Westerman for his leadership.
The House Committee on Natural Resources also held a hearing earlier this month on Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential. After years of federal inaction that kept Alaska’s immense natural resources sidelined, the president issued an executive order to encourage the use of these resources for the good of the state and the nation. A few years ago, we wrote about the importance of Alaska’s Willow project for America’s energy security, and what we said then still remains true: If we want a cleaner energy future, we must be honest about the energy we need now and where it’s produced.
Also, this month, we took a look at the need for continued investment in our public lands and national parks, which are burdened by billions in deferred maintenance costs. By reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund through the America the Beautiful Act, Congress can increase funding and send the message that conservation is patriotic, not partisan. Read more here.
And finally, at the end of August, we held a conference in Montana on the future of wildlife corridors. We brought together conservation professionals, policy makers, experts, and community leaders to discuss how privately held lands play a critical role in maintaining wildlife movement and ecological connectivity. You can read more about it here and here.
That’s it from us this month! Though the days are growing cooler and shorter, it’s also one of the best seasons to get outside—whether that means hiking, fishing, hunting, or simply enjoying the outdoors. We’d love to see your adventures, so when you share photos on Facebook, don’t forget to tag us (@conservamerica) and we may feature them!
