Quantcast

Cornhusker State News

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

VIDEO: Ricketts Knocks Biden Administration for Refusing to Define Conservation in Controversial “30×30” Plan

61

Pete Ricketts | Wikipedia

Pete Ricketts | Wikipedia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 16, 2023, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a longtime champion of private property rights, exposed the Biden administration’s refusal to define the word “conservation” in the president’s “America the Beautiful” initiative. Formerly known as the “30×30 Plan,” the initiative seeks to conserve 30% of America’s land and waters by 2030.

“In reading through the Fish and Wildlife proposed budget, the president’s 30×30 environmental program is specifically mentioned there,” said Senator Ricketts. “The executive summary says the Service is a ‘key player’ in the administration’s goal for an ambitious ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative… Don’t you have to have a definition of conservation to be able to say 30% of the United States is conserved? Don’t you have to have a definition of that before you can even reach that goal?”

“More than two years ago, I led a coalition of 15 Governors in asking President Biden for more details about how this initiative could be achieved without a federal land grab,” Ricketts said after the hearing. “For two years, they’ve refused to give us anything. No definitions, no details, nothing. Reaching 30% would require restricting a land area the size of nine states of Nebraska by 2030. Without a clear definition of conservation, this plan is either a partisan sham with no tangible goals or a slippery slope to violating the property rights of Nebraskans.”

Ricketts’ comments came during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works entitled “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Budget”.

Ricketts has been a longtime opponent of President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative. As Governor, Ricketts hosted a “Stop the 30×30 Summit” and a series of townhalls across Nebraska to raise the alarm about the prospect of a federal land grab in pursuit of Biden’s conservation goals. In June of 2021, he signed an executive order aimed at stopping its implementation of the plan.

Watch the video HERE

Original source can be found here

ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY

!RECEIVE ALERTS

The next time we write about any of these orgs, we’ll email you a link to the story. You may edit your settings or unsubscribe at any time.
Sign-up

DONATE

Help support the Metric Media Foundation's mission to restore community based news.
Donate

MORE NEWS