107TH LEGISLATURE INTERIM
It’s Fair Season in District 17, a fun time for showing off our livestock, baked goods,
hand crafted items and enjoying the comradery of our friends and neighbors as we
celebrate the richness of our Ag-land and produce at the Wayne County Fair.
30 x 30 Land Grab
Governor Pete Ricketts wrote an article this week that I believe is vital for all Nebraska’s
to be aware of. The following are excerpts from the Governor:
On January 27, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed his “Executive Order on
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” In this order, President Biden set a
“goal of conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” At the time of
the signing, very little information was released by the Biden-Harris Administration. We
only had the few paragraphs of text in the order and a short fact sheet from the
Department of Interior stating “that only 12% of lands are permanently protected.”
As I learned about 30 x 30, I became very concerned because Nebraska has a long
history of respecting private property rights. 97% of our land in Nebraska is privately
owned. Achieving 30 x 30 would require restricting a land area the size of nine states of
Nebraska, or in other words a landmass twice the size of Texas by 2030. In an effort to
learn more about 30 x 30, I led a coalition of 15 Governors who wrote to President Biden
in April asking for more details. In our letter, we outlined a series of questions seeking
more information about the administration’s plans. So far, the President and his
agencies have not responded.
To date, much of what we do know about the administration’s plans comes from the
environmental groups who invented this goal. Environmental groups have been talking
about conserving wide swaths of natural resources for quite some time. The U.N.
Convention on Biological Diversity, which first convened in 1992, had set a worldwide
goal of conserving 17% of the world’s land by 2020, and recently set a new goal of 30%
of by 2030. Here in the United States, the Center for American Progress (CAP) published
a report in 2019 titled “How Much Nature Should America Keep?” In the report, CAP not
only endorses the 30% goal, but also advances arguments that 50% should be secured
by 2050.
As federal agencies and environmental groups try to sell the 30 x 30 land grab to the
public, here are two myths that you may keep hearing.
First, environmental groups will say that science demands that we protect 30% of our
land and water, but even they will admit that 30 x 30 isn’t based on science. The 2019
CAP report states, “Science should inform this debate… But numbers alone cannot
adequately answer the question of how much of America’s lands, waters, and wildlife
the country wishes to protect.” Furthermore, the so-called “America the Beautiful” report
makes it even clearer that this goal isn’t about science by refusing to define the term
“conservation.” How are we supposed to know what is conserved or even what the goal
of “conservation” is when the federal government doesn’t define it? By opting for
ambiguity, the Biden-Harris Administration has left the door open to the radical demands
of environmental groups and their sweeping ambitions for more federal control over our
land and water.
Second, the “America the Beautiful” report argues that 30 x 30 will rely on voluntary
programs—a statement that is disingenuous at best. According to the Biden-Harris
Administration, we are at 12% of land conserved today using the existing conservation
programs. There is no way to get to 30% using the existing voluntary programs. These
programs have been around for decades, and there’s no reason to think that you will go
from 12% to 30% in the next nine years just by using them. Either the Biden-Harris
Administration is going to fall far short or they aren’t telling the whole story.
Here in Nebraska, we are not waiting for more details from the Biden-Harris
Administration and the radical environmental groups that are their closest allies on 30 x 30.
We are taking action to stop the 30 x 30 land grab. Over half of Nebraska’s counties
have passed resolutions formally opposing 30 x 30. Last month, I hosted county
commissioners and ag leaders in Lincoln to sign an Executive Order aimed at stopping
the implementation of 30 x 30. Under the order, the State of Nebraska will provide
training to counties to help them stop 30 x 30, and provide more oversight of
conservation programs managed by the state.
Whether it’s the 30 x 30 land grab or expanding Waters of the U.S., the federal
government is trying to take more control of private property. As President Biden and
his agencies continue to roll out their plans, Nebraska will be working to push back on
federal overreach. Together, we can protect the rights of Nebraskans to be good
stewards of our land and water.
I am proud to say that Wayne and Dakota Counties have both passed resolutions in
opposition to 30 x 30, and I know Thurston County is considering it.
NDE Health Standards
Currently, 47 School Districts across the State have stood in public opposition to the
Nebraska Department of Education first draft of Health Standards. The NDE has
communicated that the next draft will be available for review by August 1. It is vital to
stay engaged in the process to ensure that our local voice is heard so that our children’s
education is representative of the desires of our District.
August 6 at 9:00 am the State Board of Education will hold their next meeting at the
Nebraska Innovation Campus, 2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, NE 68508. The
agenda for the August meeting will be posted on or about July 29, 202. Access to the
meeting will be made available to members of the public and members of the media at
the meeting site and by live internet broadcast via the Nebraska Department of
Education’s YouTube channel. The meeting will be recorded and available after the
meeting on the NDE YouTube channel.
Link to Live Internet Broadcast: https://www.education.ne.gov/live/
In the meantime, contact your state and local school board members and
representatives and ask them to sign on the Resolution rejecting the first draft of the
proposed Health Education Standards.
I always appreciate hearing from you, the Constituents of District 17. Your input helps
me know how to effectively serve you in the Legislature. If you have any comments or
concerns, please contact me at 402-471-2716 or jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.
