Last year Congress allowed the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), one of America’s most important conservation and recreation funding tools, to expire. Public lands legislation (S. 47) that just passed in the U.S. Senate includes a long overdue provision to permanently reauthorize this critical program. It is urgent that CRS members—and anyone who cares about America’s great outdoors—contact their representatives immediately and ask them to also pass S. 47 to restore LWCF. This longstanding program is based on a very conservative idea: use a small portion of revenues from the use of one type of natural resource, offshore oil and gas, to support the conservation of others, our parks, forests, rivers, and other conservation lands. Please click this link, RESTORE LWCF, and use the quick and easy interface to ask your Senators to permanently reauthorize LWCF. If you wish, you can edit and personalize the prewritten letter before sending. About LWCF LWCF, the brainchild of a commission established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, was created more than 50 years ago to ensure that we balance the use of our natural resources with investment in conservation and stewardship. It is a critical tool in the protection of land for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and virtually any other outdoor activity. In addition, LWCF safeguards our water supplies, protects critical wildlife habitat, reduces wildfire losses and helps prevent flooding. Investments in this program pay huge dividends, improving our quality of life, our health, and our economic well-being. LWCF accomplishes all of this without a dime of taxpayer money! What is more conservative than that? It makes sense that for more than 50 years,...
Comprehensive and bi-partisan legislation to address climate change, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2018, has recently been introduced in both the House and the Senate. This progress is long overdue. Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and George H.W. Bush were all calling for action to address climate change 30 years ago. Since then we have seen this important issue fall victim to special interests influence and partisan politics. This legislation will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by placing a modest fee on carbon intensive fossil fuels to spur innovation and encourage the use of cleaner energy sources. The money collected from the carbon fee will then be allocated in equal shares every month to the American people to spend as they see fit. The government would not keep any of the money from the fee. If passed, this revenue neutral and market friendly policy will reduce America’s emissions by at least 40% within 12 years. It will also give America’s energy sector the regulatory predictability it needs to plan its future investments. This approach has strong support from economists and scientists as a simple, comprehensive, and effective climate solution. Current co-sponsors of the House bill, H.R. 7173, include Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Francis Rooney (R-Fl), Dave Trott (R-MI), Charlie Crist (D-FL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), John Delaney (D-MD), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Scott Peters (D-CA). Current co-sponsors of the Senate bill, S. 3791, are Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-DE). While many conservatives in Congress privately recognize the need to address climate change, they have been reluctant to take a stand publicly. A...
On November 19, CRS filed amici curiae briefs supporting lawsuits against the Trump administration over its dramatic rollback of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. These briefs were filed in opposition to the administration’s motions to dismiss the cases. CRS argues that the Antiquities Act, which provides presidents with specific authority to establish national monuments, in no way authorizes them to diminish or undo previously established monuments. Under that law—and the U.S. Constitution—such two-way authority rests only with Congress. “We have always maintained that these national monument rollbacks are illegal. The Antiquities Act was enacted exclusively to protect America’s natural and cultural heritage, it in no way confers authority on the president to diminish or destroy it,” said CRS president David Jenkins. In the early 1900s our nation faced a serious problem with the rampant looting and destruction of historic and scientifically important artifacts on public lands, much of which was done to turn a quick buck. Time after time, Congress failed to act quickly enough to preserve them. With the Antiquities Act, Congress responded to that problem by specifically granting the president authority to protect these resources by designating national monuments. There was never any thought of giving presidents the authority to unprotect. Trump’s claim to the contrary is ludicrous. It is also worth noting that the Antiquities Act, and its subsequent use to safeguard America’s national treasures, has a rich conservative heritage. It was passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by Republican president Theodore Roosevelt. Sixteen Presidents (8 Republican and 8 Democrats) have since used its authority to create national monuments....
CRS was actively involved in three ballot measures that were decided on Election Day. We scored important victories in two of those. Here is a brief recap: Nevada Question 6 – CRS supported this measure that would increase Nevada’s renewable energy standard for electricity to 50 percent by 2030. Such a standard is needed because Nevada, which has abundant solar and geothermal resources, still depends on natural gas piped in from other states for 75 percent of its electricity generation. This lopsided energy mix makes little sense because solar energy in Nevada, even with storage for overnight power, is currently cheaper than power generated by natural gas. Even more important for ratepayers, while solar energy will keep getting cheaper, the price of natural gas is expected to double over the next decade. Question 6 passed, and will need to pass again in 2020 to become law. Colorado Amendment 74 – CRS opposed this amendment pushed by American Farm Bureau and the oil and gas industry. Had it passed, Amendment 74 would require taxpayers to compensate property owners when a law or regulation reduces the value of their property. In other words, individuals and corporations could sue local governments over any law they contend might cost them money, even if the law is necessary to protect the public. Not only would it fleece taxpayers, it would also create a strong disincentive for enacting laws that limit pollution, manage development, or protect health and safety. Amendment 74 thankfully failed. Arizona Proposition 127 – This measure was the same as Nevada’s Question 6. It would have increased the renewable energy standard to...
Colorado has a ballot question this year, Amendment 74, that if passed, would represent an unprecedented fleecing of Colorado taxpayers. It would amend the Colorado constitution to allow any corporation to sue local governments over any law they contend might cost them money. This amendment would hold towns and neighborhoods hostage to the specter of costly lawsuits, creating a strong disincentive for passing laws to protect the public. For example, a town that prohibits oil and gas drilling too close to schools could be successfully sued for damages to companies wanting to drill there. The list of absurd possibilities are endless. After Oregon passed a similar measure, the state faced nearly $20 billion in claims in just the first three years. Thankfully it was repealed before it bankrupted local communities and undercut the state’s ability to fund schools and infrastructure. The consequences of passing Amendment 74 are vast. In addition to allowing corporations to siphon away Coloradans’ tax dollars, it would undermine the environmental protections, health standards and zoning laws needed to protect the public. In short, it makes everyone and second class citizen by giving more power to moneyed special interests. This is not conservative. Nothing good can come from Amendment 74. This is why CRS hopes this reckless amendment is defeated at the ballot box on November 6. Below is a short piece by two Colorado conservatives explaining why Amendment 74 runs afoul of basic conservative principles, even as flyers promoting try to tie the effort to great conservatives like Ronald Reagan. Reagan was a steward of taxpayer’s wallets, he would no doubt see this scheme for what...
On September 5, CRS petitioned Secretary of the Interior Zinke to temporarily withdraw approximately 117,000 acres of public lands in Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming from oil and gas leasing. Over the past year-and-a-half, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has unsuccessfully tried to sell oil and gas leases on all of these lands. It is now time to take a step back and reexamine whether other uses of these lands, such as hunting and fishing, safeguarding drinking water, and recreation, should take precedence. “Responsible stewardship and multiple use are conservative principles that have guided America’s public land management for more than a century. The Trump administration has turned this tried and true approach on its head, threatening the public access, resource quality, and diverse revenue stream that western communities depend on,” said CRS president David Jenkins. The parcels included in our petition include critical habitat for big game and other wildlife, migration corridors, trout streams, popular outdoor recreation areas, important drinking water sources, and significant historic sites. Many of these parcels were leased over objections by state and local agencies that understand the true values of these lands. For this administration’s leasing program, quantity is trumping quality. There is no correlation between number of acres offered and number of acres actually leased. Since this administration came to office, the BLM has offered more than 12.7 million acres for oil and gas leasing, yet only 1.3 million acres have sold. With this no-holds-barred pursuit of its so-called “energy dominance” agenda, the Trump administration has made oil and gas drilling its preferred use of America’s public lands, and in doing...
