Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts took issue with the Biden administration with the proposed “30 by 30” plan, now known as the “America the Beautiful” initiative.  The goal of the 30 by 30 proposal is to have 30 percent of the nation’s land entered in conservation programs by the year 2030.  During the environment and public works committee hearing held Tuesday, Senator Ricketts asked a Biden official what their definition is of conservation?

Ricketts wasn’t satisfied with the answer from Martha Williams of the Fish and Wildlife Services.  He then asked how can the Biden administration measure its level of success if there is not a clear definition for conservation?

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, Ricketts signed an executive order aimed at stopping its implementation of the plan.