<[link removed]> May 2021 Happy Memorial Day Weekend Memorial Day weekend is here, and the country is opening to millions of Americans enjoying one of their first experiences of post-pandemic life. More than half of adults in the U.S. are now vaccinated, face mask mandates are lifted almost everywhere, and a sense of normalcy is beginning to set in. That’s a welcome change for everyone who has spent the past 14 months working from home and ordering groceries online. Backyard BBQs and parades are back on. Pools are open. And, despite rising gas prices from surging demand, Americans are hitting the road in record numbers to enjoy some well-earned time with loved ones and friends, many of whom are seeing one another for the first time in over a year. With so much to look forward to, we wish you a safe and enjoyable weekend. It’s a great time to get outside and visit a national park <[link removed]> . With over 400 national park sites nationwide (including the U.S. territories), there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy. A national park is also a good place to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. Many parks have monuments and memorials honoring America’s military heroes and the sacrifice required to build this great nation. We are grateful for the blessings they have passed on to us and the beauty and majesty of this great land. Thank you for your continued support. There’s a lot happening in Congress on conservation, energy, and clean air and clean water. We continue to work with the members of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus to advance achievable and durable public policies based on the principles of limited government, competition, and economic freedom. We believe that a healthy environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive. <[link removed]> Administration, Congress should seize opportunity to make smart investments in infrastructure <[link removed]> As the Biden administration steps up its push to advance a sweeping infrastructure plan, members of Congress are considering ways to make the package bipartisan. For Republicans, that means addressing America’s long-neglected infrastructure without hamstringing the economic recovery and leaving future generations burdened with debt. The price tag of the Biden administration’s proposal is $1.7 trillion, which is of significant concern to conservatives, particularly given the trillions of dollars in pandemic relief that has already gone out the door under the current and previous administrations. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers recently suggested the country risks rising inflation if the current pace of government spending <[link removed]> continues. Republicans, led by West Virginia’s Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, offered Biden a nearly $1 trillion plan, which itself represented an increase from the GOP’s initial $500 million proposal. Democrats rejected it as too little. That was a mistake. If there was any policy that should be bipartisan in these polarized times, it’s infrastructure. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Administration Releases 30 by 30 Report <[link removed]> This month, the Biden administration released a report on its proposal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 <[link removed]> . The initiative, known as 30 by 30, has generated both interest and concern among stakeholders. President Biden’s proposal seeks to make conservation and restoration of lands and waters a priority. There is cautious optimism that the proposal could yield a decade of positive investments in protecting biodiversity and wildlife populations, but much depends on how it would be implemented. With approximately 70 percent of lands in the United States under private ownership, collaborative engagement with ranchers, farmers, foresters, industry, and other private landowners is pivotal for the overall success of such an ambitious effort. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Congress Should Fully Fund Clean Energy Innovation and Research <[link removed]> ConservAmerica this month joined more than 100 energy and conservation organizations in urging appropriators in Congress to fully fund energy innovation and research to ensure America maintains a competitive edge in the global market. The federal government plays a crucial role in supporting innovation through effective research and development programs. In the letter to House and Senate appropriators, the organizations called on Congress to “immediately make robust, goal-oriented federal investments in priority energy innovation efforts.” The organizations also noted, “Congress has wisely provided spending boosts for RD&D activities at DOE in recent years. Even so, the U.S. is not keeping up with the competition and risks missing out on new opportunities as a result. Other nations like Japan, China, and those within the European Union are investing greater shares of their economies in energy R&D. To continue competing for global market share in a changing energy sector, the U.S. must demonstrate, commercialize and deploy the technologies it develops at scale. Accelerating these later stages of innovation will require a significant increase in federal funding and private sector partnership and is a vital and unavoidable step toward economic success.” Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Prohibitions on New Oil & Gas Leasing on Federal Lands is Counterproductive <[link removed]> Like every newly elected president, Joe Biden entered office by issuing a flurry of executive orders. In one of them, a Jan. 27 executive order titled, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” <[link removed]> Biden instructed the Interior Department to “pause” all new leases on federal lands and waters pending a comprehensive review of the program. But now that we are past the 100-day mark of his presidency and the pause has been extended without any firm timetable for resolution, it’s time to take a hard look at Biden’s actions. Is he really going to implement his campaign promise to end all new federal leasing for oil and gas production? It’s one thing to make a comment during the campaign and then evaluate it during the initial days of the administration. But it’s another thing to keep the moratorium in place for an indefinite period of time or, even worse, to carry out this particular policy. Read More <[link removed]> Support Principled Conservation This year, we have seen, more than ever, the importance of protecting our public lands and the unique places that mean so much to us. There's no better way to be a good steward of the land we love than by protecting it for future generations. We need your help to continue leading the way on environmental, conservation, and clean energy issues. ConservAmerica believes the most successful approaches are the ones that offer common sense, market-based solutions rather than big government, top-down regulations. Please consider supporting our work with your tax-deductible donation. Donate Now <[link removed]> More Top Stories from May <[link removed]> To 'build back better' we must first be able to build <[link removed]> Alex Herrgott writes that we need to rethink how we build infrastructure so that we can build back smarter as well as better. “America badly needs to modernize its infrastructure. But before it can do that, Congress first needs to repair the outdated, sclerotic federal permitting process. To ‘build back better’ we must first be able to build,” Herrgott says in a piece published this month in The Hill newspaper. Herrgott, the former executive director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council and associate director for infrastructure at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, points out that the bureaucratic red-tape currently plaguing developers is holding back our ability to “build back better.” Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Biden's Environmental Priorities Collide in Utah’s Colt Mesa <[link removed]> President Biden’s clean energy goals are colliding in Utah’s Colt Mesa with concerns about the impact of the mining of critical minerals on tourism and the environment. The Colt Mesa area contains deposits of copper, cobalt, and other minerals considered critical to national security and clean energy goals. Cobalt is an important component in the manufacturing of magnets for wind turbines and batteries. Colt Mesa was removed from within the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by the Trump administration because of its mineral deposits, but could now be swept back in under President Biden, writes Amy Joi O’Donoghue for Deseret.com. When it comes to cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements, the world’s top three producers – none of them the U.S. – control over three-quarters of the global output. China dominates the global market for rare earth elements and for mineral processing. Beijing has banned the export of come rare earth elements crucial for the manufacturing of clean energy technology. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Polysilicon: Biden's Solar Challenge with China <[link removed]> In another story of President Biden’s environmental ambitions running into the reality of geopolitics, Joe McDonald of the Associated Press writes about China’s dominance of the production of critical minerals and its poor human rights record. Polysilicon, used to make photovoltaic cells for solar panels. The global industry gets 45% of its supply from Xinjiang, the northwestern region where China’s ruling Communist Party is accused of mass incarceration of minorities and other abuses. Other parts of China supply 35%. Only 20% comes from U.S. and other producers. U.S. and some Chinese solar vendors have pledged to avoid suppliers that might use forced labor. It isn’t clear, however, whether they can meet rising demand without Xinjiang, where Beijing won’t allow independent inspections of workplaces. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Conservation Efforts Should Respect Private Property Rights <[link removed]> Alabama TV reporter Kailey Schuyler spoke to ConservAmerica this month about President Biden’s 30 by 30 proposal, which seeks to extend federal protection to 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030. Biden’s plan to restore biodiversity has some landowners in Alabama concerned about the potential impact on private property rights. Many in the agriculture industry support conservation but want clear details before they buy into 30 by 30. The Managers at Redboat Farms in Fort Payne, Alabama say federal regulation of private land won’t work. “Land is independence. It just doesn’t make sense for the government to control that much land,” says Stacey Perea, manager at Redboat Farms. Robert Dillon, a senior advisor at ConservAmerica says this is an ambitious goal. It will increase access to outdoor recreation and create more parks, but it will need to incentivize private landowners to become a reality. The administration needs to “approach it in a way that incentivizes private landowners to do conservation. Rather than just taking the land and sticking it in the federal inventory where we have to pay for it,” says Dillon.” Read More <[link removed]> ConservAmerica, 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington DC, United States Powered by Squarespace <[link removed]> Unsubscribe <[link removed]>