Inman Connect
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), arguably the most powerful man in America, took the virtual stage at the National Association of Realtors’ midyear conference Thursday to talk about something else he is known for: bipartisanship.
Last week, CQ Roll Call named the conservative Democrat the most bipartisan senator for the third year in a row. Manchin has served in the Senate since 2010. Because Democrats and Republicans are split 50-50 in the Senate, the content of legislation and whether it passes often comes down to what Manchin decides.
Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, the senior and junior senators from West Virginia, respectively, spoke to Shannon McGahn, NAR’s chief advocacy officer, at the Realtors Legislative Meetings.
On May 6, the Biden administration unveiled a new, ten-year plan for how it intends to make good on Executive Order 14008, which called for the conservation of 30 percent of our nation’s land and water by 2030. This number, which has been backed by scientists, is considered the critical amount of conserved natural areas necessary to help slow climate change and prevent catastrophic species loss.
“Never before has a president outlined a goal of this kind, and certainly not this early in an administration,” said Brenda Mallory, chair
of the Council on Environmental Quality, on a press call. “Let me be candid: nature in America is in trouble, and Americans across the country are seeing and feeling the impacts.”
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden-Harris administration released its plan to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The plan received a mixed reaction from agriculture groups.
The decade-long commitment relies on voluntary efforts to preserve public, private and tribal areas while also helping tackle climate change and create jobs.
A report, with the lofty title America the Beautiful, would purify drinking water, increase green space, improve access to outdoor recreation, restore healthy fisheries, reduce the risk of wildfires and recognize the “oversized contributions” of farmers, ranchers, forest owners, fishers, hunters, rural communities and tribal nations.
President Joe Biden has set a goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. If successful, the plan will help slow global warming and preserve some of the nation’s most scenic lands for future generations of Americans, the report said.
This commentary was produced by the World Resources Institute, as a managing partner of the Global Commission on Adaptation.
No matter where you are, your country’s leaders are figuring out how to rebuild from the economic and social shocks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine if those leaders used this moment to pivot away from the resource-hungry economic model that drove last century’s growth toward a more resilient approach that works with nature rather than against it. Imagine if your government proposed a stimulus package that included significant investments in protecting and restoring ecosystems that underpin your economy along with low-carbon, climate-resilient approaches to energy, construction, and transport.