Today, President Joe Biden announced a $1 billion "America the Beautiful Challenge." House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"The Biden administration continues to weaponize the bipartisan goal of conserving America's natural treasures and vast resources by turning this noble concept into a thinly veiled excuse for land grabs and billion-dollar slush funds. Rebranded or not, the '30 by 30' initiative and this new 'challenge fund' are blatant attempts to sidestep Congress and recklessly fund the Biden administration’s liberal wish list with no transparency or accountability. Even today, the administration could not answer basic questions on where this $1 billion will come from, what projects it will support or under whose authority this program will be created. Not only that, but Biden's war on American energy has directly impacted energy-based revenue streams like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which were already funding conservation projects across the country. Now as inflation is skyrocketing and Americans face sticker shock at the gas pump and grocery store, the Biden administration's solution is to spend more money they don't have. If Biden actually cared about conservation, he would support domestic energy production, which provides hundreds of millions of dollars annually towards numerous conservation programs. Instead, he's presenting a wolf in sheep's clothing that writes a blank check at the taxpayer's expense."

Background

The Biden administration's 30x30 initiative is a proposal that would put 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters under strict environmental regulations by 2030. Details on exactly what these guidelines would entail remain unclear, despite repeated requests for more information from both Congress and various stakeholders for more than a year. If, for example, the administration classifies these lands and waters as wilderness areas or marine protected areas, it would close them off to multiple uses.

Today's announcement still contains no clarification or definition on what projects and funding sources will be included in the $1 billion spending spree, nor where the vast majority of this funding will come from.