The administration is moving forward on the America the Beautiful initiative. They have asked for our feedback.
We are excited about the Biden administration’s focus on implementing the America the Beautiful initiative, the effort to conserve 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 (the so-called “30×30” initiative). An important opportunity to provide substantive feedback to the Department of Interior (DOI) and partners on the 30×30 plan is right around the corner. DOI is seeking feedback on the development of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas (Atlas), which will be the tool to measure and reflect progress on conservation efforts throughout the nation.
OIA will be submitting comments based on feedback from members and insight from strategic partners with subject matter expertise consistent with the following:
- We support the efforts to develop an accurate Atlas to display progress in pursuance of the goals delineated in the America the Beautiful initiative.
- We believe the Atlas should be a tool that is understandable and accessible for members of all communities.
- We believe that flexible, fair, and sustainable standards should be employed when measuring conservation efforts that will count toward the 30×30 goal.
The OIA government affairs team will be providing comment on the Atlas at the listening session on January 19, 2022. Other dates have been released for additional listening sessions and can be found here.
As a reminder, America the Beautiful (or “30×30”) is a crucial component of Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” This order deploys an all-of-government plan to confront climate change, encourage the development of clean energy, and create millions of job opportunities in an equitable manner. The 30×30 component of the plan sets an imperative goal to conserve 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030, in pursuance of more aggressive national and global goals in the coming decades.
OIA encourages members who are interested in learning more about the Atlas or the America the Beautiful initiative to reach out to the OIA government affairs team. To collaborate on submitting comments on the Atlas by the deadline, March 7, 2022, please reach out directly to OIA State & Local Government Affairs Manager Rebecca Gillis.
Don’t forget to register for the listening sessions to solicit feedback on the Atlas. Please note, capacity may be limited for these sessions. If capacity has been met, you will not be able to register for the virtual listening session.
