Opposition Growing Against Biden’s 30 x 30 Land Grab

As word spreads of the Biden Administration’s push to “permanently protect” 30 percent of our nation’s land and oceans in their natural state, opposition is growing. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts issued a strong warning to the Biden Administration on February 22nd:

“In particular, I want to draw the attention of Nebraskans to the executive order’s goal of restricting ‘at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.’ Federal interventions that purport to aim at conservation or that regulate land and natural resource uses are only likely to hurt agriculture and to hinder growth in our economy. Nebraska will stand up against federal government overreach to protect our family farms and our way of life. Just as we defeated President Obama’s Waters of the U.S. regulation, we will work together to stop new federal overreach.” (Gov. Ricketts Warns Against Federal Overreach on Energy, Climate, & Conservation Issues)

Governor Rickets is the first of his colleagues to shine the national spotlight on the impact the 30 x 30 provision will have on States as a result of the climate crisis Executive Order (14008).

Additionally, Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced an amendment to the Wilderness bill passed by the House last week (H.R. 803) that nullified section 216 of the climate crisis EO. While the amendment was not accepted, it alerted other members to the dangerous agenda. House Resource Committee Ranking Member, Bruce Westerman (R-AR), noted that the massive wilderness bill was being pushed by the same extremists advocating for the 30 x 30 program.

Several more Counties are following the lead of Garfield County, Colorado, which passed the first local government resolution opposing 30 x 30, by passing similar policies. The resolutions are key to helping Congressional leaders fight against the agenda in Washington D.C.

Individuals across the nation can join the fight. We prepared the “Guide to Fight 30 x 30,” to make it easy to educate neighbors and elected leaders. It includes fact sheets, resources, background material and model resolutions local governments can pass to oppose the program — and it is free.

Margaret Byfield, Executive Director

Georgetown, Texas.  Margaret was raised on a large cow calf operation in central Nevada purchased by her parents, Wayne and Jean Hage in 1978. Her family experienced unprecedented regulatory pressures that eventually led to Hage v. United States, the first federal lands grazing case filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims.  The case was in litigation for 27 years, during which time Margaret launched the property rights organization Stewards of the Range.  Stewards merged with the American Land Foundation in 2009 forming American Stewards of Liberty (ASL). Margaret has helped train, guide and advise elected leaders for the purpose of coordinating land use planning and management activities with federal and state agencies.  She has guided and participated in numerous government-to-government coordination meetings dealing with a variety of issues including federal resource management plans, endangered species, transportation corridors, power lines, high speed rail and many other concerns.  Additionally, she has helped local governments develop natural resource plans and specific policies for the purpose of conveying to federal and state agencies the local needs and priorities to be coordinated. Margaret holds a Bachelors degree in English and Music received from the College of Idaho. She is married to Dan Byfield, CEO of ASL, and has one daughter and three step children.

About

American Stewards of Liberty is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting private property rights, defending the use of our land, and restoring local control. Our strategies are unique, effective, and have led to some of the most important victories for property rights in America over the last twenty years.

Founded in 1992, ASL works directly with local communities to help protect the continued use of our natural resources – the production of food, fiber and energy and access to the land – in the face of an increasing influence of the radical environmental agenda that is working to remove people from the landscape.

• We study the local issues, train local leaders, and advocate the local position with the federal and state agencies using coordination.

While helping landowners succeed at the local level is a critical part of our work, so too is our national agenda to restore the full constitutional protection for private property rights intended by our founders.  As a part of this mission we are filing actions to delist species that do not warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

American Stewards of Liberty is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that was formed through the merger of the American Land Foundation(ALF) and Stewards of the Range (Stewards) in 2009. ALF was created by the Farm Credit Bank of Texas in 1993. Stewards was founded by western ranchers in 1992 to support the Fifth Amendment takings case Hage v. United States.