Latest news with #NatureIsNonpartisan
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conservative blasts Senator Mike Lee for 'secretly trying to sell' US land: 'It's a loser issue to the American people'
A top conservative environmentalist is calling out a Republican U.S. senator as a "liar" and igniting a fiery public debate about whether America's public lands should be for sale. Benji Backer, founder of the nonprofit environmental organization Nature Is Nonpartisan, has publicly condemned Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah for his attempt to reintroduce a controversial proposal into the Senate reconciliation bill that would sell public lands for development. In a post earlier this week, Backer accused Lee of "a secret mass sell-off (of some of America's most sensitive areas)." When Lee responded, arguing that Backer was wrong about the land eligible for development, Backer called Lee a "liar" and pleaded with other Republican senators not to "let this man ruin our legacy on conservation." X's Community Notes moderation tool also called out Senator Lee's response to Backer as "incorrect," fact-checking him with a confirmation of Backer's allegations that Lee's proposal would sell off some of America's most precious lands. In an exclusive interview with The Cool Down, Backer said that while Senator Lee's office has reached out to him about the public spat, he's still not planning to back down. "I'm representing the vast majority of conservatives, and I'm willing to go to the mat on this — I stand by what I said," Backer told The Cool Down. "The American people do not support the mass sell off of public land. It's critical for the future of America that we stop this," he added. "Public lands are part of our legacy." During negotiations in the House of Representatives around the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill," Utah Representative Celeste Maloy introduced a proposal that would allow 10,000 acres of public lands in Utah and about 500,000 acres in Nevada to be sold off for the development of affordable housing. That proposal received significant criticism from conservatives and environmental advocates, and it was struck from the bill before it moved to the Senate. But when the Bill moved to the Senate, Utah Senator Mike Lee, the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, reintroduced the proposal at an even larger scale, expanding the sale of up to 3 million acres of public lands to provide additional housing across 11 states. "He put it in there hoping that no one was going to notice it, adding even more acres for sales than the House bill," Backer said in the interview. While Senator Lee's proposal doesn't allow the sale of national parks, it would allow the sale of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service across 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Backer linked to an interactive map on X and displayed screenshots in an Instagram carousel. Sen. Lee argues that, in addition to creating revenue, the proposal would give states like Utah, where two-thirds of the land is managed by the federal government, more control over their land. "We're opening underused federal land to expand housing, support local development and get Washington, D.C., out of the way of communities that are just trying to grow," Lee said in a video. "Washington has proven, time and again, it can't manage this land. This bill puts it in better hands." The bill would require the Interior and Agriculture secretaries to publish a list of lands for sale and consult with local officials and tribes. Proceeds would go to the U.S. Treasury, with 5% of each sale given to the local government to support local housing development and 5% towards maintenance on other BLM and Forest Service land. The proposal also includes plans to expand gas, coal, geothermal, and timber leasing on public lands. The problem, Backer says, is that there are no specifics provided about exactly which lands would be eligible for sale or who would be allowed to buy the lands. "As a conservative, it's also really worrisome that it doesn't say who can and can't buy [this land]," he told The Cool Down. "You're telling me that China can't come in and develop it — you're telling us that they're not going to take this opportunity to buy these lands?" As Republicans such as Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia has expressed concern about, companies from China, some state-run, have been buying American agriculture land and businesses over the last decade. NPR reported the figure to be near 400,000 acres of land in 2023. Backer argued that the areas under threat are some of the most pristine wilderness in our country. National polling of 4,000 Americans surveyed this spring from YouGov showed that 71% of those surveyed oppose selling lands. "This is a non-starter, it's a loser issue to the American people," he said. The proposal is also receiving serious backlash from hunters, fishers, anglers, and leaders in the outdoor recreation industry, who sent a letter to Sen. John Thune and Sen. Chuck Schumer encouraging them to omit federal public land sales from the budget reconciliation bill. "While we appreciate the desire to address federal land management challenges and respond to local community needs, we ask that any public land disposal be considered within transparent, public channels and that funding from sales be reinvested back into habitat and access," the letter said. In fact, the existing bipartisan Federal Land Transaction Act already requires that proceeds from public land sales be reinvested in conservation or ecological restoration. The letter to Thune and Schumer also outlined several concerns about the public lands sell-off proposal: It wouldn't allow for public engagement among hunters, anglers, recreationalists, and other stakeholders The proceeds from land sales would go toward economic development instead of land conservation and would "likely lower the ecological and recreational value of our public lands." Sales could have a negative effect on rural economies and cultural heritage, noting that the outdoor recreation industry has demonstrated a $1.2 trillion economic output nationally. Underneath the public land dispute is a real challenge around the availability of affordable housing for Americans and the protection of our natural resources. But Backer argues that there is another way to tackle these issues without sacrificing the country's natural beauty. "Affordable housing is a real challenge, and the lack of space for cities to grow is something that is challenging," he said. "At the same time, we aren't managing our national lands very well. But the answer to those challenges is not to sell off millions of acres of land secretly with places for sale being the most pristine." Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Definitely Not sure No way Only in some cities Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Backer argues that any considerations around public land sales should be supported by local buy-in and data — and any land sales should focus on non-ecologically sensitive areas. Backer also warns that the proposal is "a very slippery slope." Selling off even a limited number of acres now could set a troubling precedent for the future. That, Backer says, risks triggering a cascading effect of land sale and development, which could "impact conservation for the rest of our lives." "We don't get these lands back," he said, "This is our legacy." Backer, whose organization is working with the current administration and other national leaders to advance nonpartisan environmental policy, is hoping that speaking out will inspire people to reach out to their Senators to voice their opposition to the proposal and demand stronger protections for public lands. "There is nothing 'conservative' or 'American' about selling a massive chunk of our nation's most beautiful landscape to developers," Backer wrote on X. "This should always transcend partisan politics…always." While he told The Cool Down that he's willing to have a conversation with any Senator who wants to discuss solutions, he added that he's "not willing to back down until lawmakers are willing to 'try a different approach' to tackling challenges like access to affordable housing alongside the protection of our national lands." "Americans don't want their public lands to be developed for economic gain," he said. "That's not what Teddy Roosevelt intended. That's not what Ronald Reagan intended. That's not what Richard Nixon intended. That's not what President Trump intended in his first term," he said. "Public lands have always been for the public's benefit. They are one of our best ideas." 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Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Q&A: Meet the conservative working to make environmentalism nonpartisan
Nature is Nonpartisan founder Benji Backer, center, with Director of Communications Amelia Joy, left, and Chief Policy Officer Ben Cassidy, right, pose for a photo on March 18, 2025, in Belle Fourche. (Courtesy of Nature is Nonpartisan) A national nonprofit working to promote a middle ground on environmentalism launched with an event Thursday in the South Dakota city of Belle Fourche, which advertises itself as the geographic center of the United States. Benji Backer, 27, of Seattle, is the founder of Nature is Nonpartisan. The self-described conservative environmentalist founded the American Conservation Coalition in 2017 while in college. That conservative group promotes policies like free-market approaches to climate change and environmental policy. In 2024, Backer wrote a book, 'The Conservative Environmentalist,' outlining his vision for right-of-center environmentalism. With his new group, Backer is bringing people together from across the political spectrum. Nature Is Nonpartisan's board ranges from people like David Bernhardt, who was secretary of the Department of Interior during the first Trump administration, to Michael Brune, former executive director of the Sierra Club. Partners include the National Wildlife Federation, American Forests, Ducks Unlimited and more. South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden attended the Belle Fourche event and signed an executive proclamation establishing 'Nature Is Nonpartisan Week' in the state. Backer said he is critical of Green New Deal-style environmentalism, referring to a swath of proposals to help address climate change and income inequality introduced by progressive lawmakers. He said the movement has become an ineffective political football. The new nonprofit focuses on bipartisan policies like funding wildlife migration corridors, wetland and forest conservation, and farm practices that pull more heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere. Backer took questions from South Dakota Searchlight ahead of Thursday's event. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I grew up in the Midwest — I grew up in Wisconsin — and grew up loving the outdoors just like almost every person in this country. I also grew up a conservative, and I felt very frustrated with the fact that there wasn't really a home for dialogue on the environment that was being done in a nonpartisan way. It was either you subscribe to the Green New Deal-type ideology or you just didn't have a home at all. And the majority of Americans care a lot about the environment, but they don't want radical solutions. So, our mission is to rebuild the environmental movement, to a movement that represents all Americans, of all political backgrounds — not just the left side of the aisle — and also forges solutions that benefit and work for every American, not just Americans on one side of the aisle. We want to recreate the legacy that Americans have around the environment. This used to be seen as a nonpartisan issue in America. There used to be many environmental organizations that resembled the breadth of political beliefs in America. That does not exist anymore. So, we're here in Belle Fourche — because it is the center of the country — to launch from the heart of America an environmental movement that speaks for the heart of America. Yeah, look, it has been a partisan issue, but that doesn't mean it has to be. If you look back at history, previous iterations of the environmental movement resembled both sides of the aisle. It had hunters and anglers, it had conservatives, and it also had liberals. It had both sorts of populations represented, and so the solutions represented those communities, too. My philosophy is that when you're not at the table, you're on the table. When you're not at the table, you're automatically losing. And the majority of Americans are losing with the current environmental movement as we see it. Hunters and anglers, conservatives, used to self-identify as environmentalists. Polling back in 1990 shows nearly 80% of Americans self-identified as environmentalists. We're here in Belle Fourche — because it is the center of the country — to launch from the heart of America an environmental movement that speaks for the heart of America. – Benji Backer, founder of Nature is Nonpartisan And so, it is currently partisan, but it doesn't need to be. The reality is that the political left owning this issue only allows half of the country to be represented. So, when the other half of the country, conservatives, are running the show, whether that be in the South Dakota Legislature or in D.C., all they're doing is focusing on opposing what the left has proposed because a lot of the times it's out of touch with conservative communities. It's this political back and forth of, like, either the Green New Deal, or trying to oppose everything about the Green New Deal philosophy. What if there was an approach, that we used to have, where you put landowners, ranchers, farmers, hunters, anglers at the same table with those who care about the environment for other reasons, and created a solution that works for all the people there. That has not happened for decades, but it can happen, and it will happen again. What we're trying to create is a grassroots movement of Americans from both sides of the aisle who believe the environment is more important, and conserving the environment is more important, than partisan politics. Now, how we get there is up for debate. But that's a debate we're not even having right now. 'Wild places are worth fighting for': Concern grows for receding South Dakota wetlands Some people might be more in favor of protecting the environment through private property rights because private property owners tend to take really good care of their environment. Some people might prefer a more public land approach. Then let's have a debate, issue by issue, so we can actually get to solutions. Right now, our forests are burning at record levels. Right now, biodiversity is decreasing here and around the world. Right now, extreme storms are damaging our country's economy and our communities. And the list goes on and on. I understand why immigration, guns or some of these other issues get caught up in culture wars and partisan politics: A lot of people have inherently different end goals on those issues. But on the environment, there's not really anybody in this country that doesn't want clean air, clean water, nature to be protected and biodiversity to be protected — as long as it's not at the expense of humanity and people's communities. Politicians aren't hearing that message from an environmental organization. They're only hearing a message of doom and gloom, alarmism, kind of extremism, or an opposition to that. So, we're trying to create a movement that incentivizes politicians to get to the table and find solutions to the environmental problems that are happening, that are real, that are impacting us, and that no one's trying to find solutions to because it's become such a culture warfare issue. I would say to conservatives, over the next few years, we will prove that we're a movement for all Americans. I think there's an automatic distrust of the environmental movement that is totally fair and totally to be expected based on how this has progressed as an issue in recent years. But, we have two options. We can sit on the sidelines and complain about how bad the left's ideas are, or we can sit at the table. We're either on the sidelines complaining and losing or at the table conversing and winning. I understand the skepticism, but if you look at our board, if you look at our staff, we have some of the most hardcore conservative bona fide leaders on our team and board that you could ever imagine, that validate the fact that conservatives need to have a voice at this discussion, that validate the fact that we are going to represent both sides, not just one — not just greenwashing for the left, but also representing both sides and the priorities they have. There's nothing more pro-conservative than caring about your local community, about your country and its amazing beauty, and the legacy of conservation that our country has. There's nothing more pro-conservative than engaging in conservation conversations. I've been building this organization for the last year. I don't even take a salary right now. We already have diverse funders from across the political spectrum. We have hundreds of donors already and we haven't even launched yet. We have conservative donors, liberal donors. There's not one donor or two donors or three donors that I can point to as people who are, you know, 'buying us out.' Climate change is one of the most polarizing issues in America right now, and one of the most partisan. I think Americans can and should stand united in our desire to reduce pollution in our atmosphere. I think we should be focusing on efficiency, and Americans appreciate opportunities to save money and be more efficient, to have more abundant energy choices, to have lower energy prices, which helps scale all different energy sources. People just don't want to be told what to do. As an organization, we're going to be dedicated to reducing pollution, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but not in a way that hurts people, and in a way that actually benefits communities. We are going to show politicians what Americans want to be for, rather than what they're against. So, on the topic of climate change, people are for efficient, abundant energy; people are for resilient ecosystems to create adaptation measures in extreme storms; they are for more efficient transportation methods and more fuel-efficient vehicles, as long as it's not more expensive and comes at the cost of their livelihoods. And so that's the sort of approach we're going to take. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Fox News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
The future of nature is nonpartisan. Let's combat environmental extremism with common sense
"From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam…" Those familiar lyrics we all grew up singing represent the vast diversity of America's natural grandeur, the majesty of which inspired the first Pilgrims, our Founders nearly 250 years ago, and the frontiersman who pushed West. I believe that same marvel for the great outdoors is still at the heart of the American spirit, though muffled by the noise of hyper-politicization. Our love of nature used to rise above politics. In 1991, nearly 80% of Americans self-identified as "environmentalists." But today, the environment is inmates have been running the asylum. Green New Deal Liberals have staked their claim on the issue, creating the narrative that Republicans are anti-environment. Look at the numbers: 95% of voters say that protecting the water in our lakes, streams, and rivers is important to them. 93% believe clean energy is crucial for our future. 88% support sustainable agriculture practices. And 82% support federal investment to reduce the threat of wildfires. Public opinion hasn't changed in the last three decades, our leaders have just become too politically stubborn. Americans are sick of the loudest, most extreme voices controlling the environmental movement. And America's natural beauty deserves better than political culture wars. That is why I founded Nature Is Nonpartisan, a 501c(3) nonprofit dedicated to rebranding environmentalism as a nonpartisan issue by building a large-scale, cross-partisan coalition to advocate for common-sense conservation. With a Board of Directors as politically diverse as David Bernhardt (fmr. DOI Secretary under President Trump), Jack Selby (co-founder of PayPal), Michael Brune (fmr. Sierra Club CEO), and Carlos Curbelo (fmr. U.S. Representative from Florida), and partners including the National Wildlife Federation, American Forests, Ducks Unlimited, and the American Conservation Coalition, Nature Is Nonpartisan represents millions of Americans who are ready to usher in a new era of environmentalism. Nature Is Nonpartisan will launch its movement on March 20, 2025, in Belle Fourche, South Dakota – the geographic center of the country – where we're asking Americans of all political stripes and backgrounds to "meet us in the middle." We're bringing high-profile influencers, celebrities, and politicians together to promote the simple idea that the environment is an inherently nonpartisan issue. South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden will officially proclaim the first-ever "Nature Is Nonpartisan Week." And we're going to highlight the stories of diverse leaders putting aside partisan politics to conserve their local environment. If America wants to make environmental progress that lasts beyond the next Election Day, we need an environmental group that fights to conserve our natural beauty regardless of which "side" is in power. The traditional environmental movement seems content to cry wolf about this administration's environmental policies while never actually being a part of the conservation – but Nature Is Nonpartisan is focused on forging the path to create real impact over the four years ahead. Donald Trump has an opportunity to leave a conservation legacy that rivals that of Teddy Roosevelt by making unprecedented federal investments in America's natural beauty – including conservation, wildlife preservation, sustainable agriculture, public lands, and ecosystem restoration. Making America Beautiful Again is not about politics. It's about setting up the framework for the important work that will trigger a cascade of bipartisan legislation in Congress, drive progress within key government agencies, and open doors for more environmental NGOs to work alongside the Trump Administration. At Nature Is Nonpartisan, we are building the future of nature in a way that truly transcends the divisiveness of modern politics and unites Americans around our shared love of nature. It's time to step away from political division, work across partisan differences, and deliver a healthier environment for the next generation. The future of nature is now. And the future of Nature Is Nonpartisan.
