Law Commons^™

Creating A Transparent Methodology For Measuring Success Within A Continuum Of Conservation For The America The Beautiful Initiative, Jamie Pleune

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

On January 27, 2021, the Joseph Biden Administration identified the national goal of conserving at least 30% of our lands and waters by 2030. With this order, the America the Beautiful Initiative (“ATB Initiative”) was born, and the United States joined many other nations in adopting the 30 x 30 conservation target. However, beneath the lofty aspiration lay ambiguity. The Administration has not defined the term “conservation” or explained how it will be measured. Without a clear definition or metric for measuring the outcome of conservation projects, the ATB Initiative will lose credibility. The Biden Administration should avoid this result …

Comments In Response To Request For Information To Inform Interagency Efforts To Develop The American Conservation And Stewardship Atlas, John C. Ruple, Jamie Pleune

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

On January 2, 2022, the Department of the Interior published a notice in the Federal Register seeking Information to Inform Interagency Efforts to Develop the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas. This letter responds to the Department’s request for information.

Our comments focus on what we believe would be a useful framework for the Atlas. Our comments proceed in 5 parts: (1) broad comments about conservation, the Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, and the America the Beautiful Initiative; (2) the need to provide a universal baseline of ecological health that includes ecological potential, existing conditions, and a landscape health assessment; (3) the …