Land Grab or Climate Solution? President Biden Could Unveil '30 by 30' Plan Details Next Week

In a series of executive orders signed by President Biden since taking office, one signed on Jan. 27 could impact land. It’s known as the ’30 by 30’ plan and would place 30% of U.S. lands and 30% of U.S. waters under federal jurisdiction by 2030.

While details of the plan are still sparse, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack mentioned the plan in an interview this week.

“The President has committed to a 30 by 30 effort: 30% of our working lands and public lands being dedicated in some form or fashion to conservation [by 2030]," said Vilsack, during an interview with Illinois Public Radio. "I think that also plays to the strength of CRP. I think it’ll play a particularly important role in that.”

Without specific details, the goals of the plan include

• support locally led conservation efforts
• work toward a more equitable and inclusive version for nature conservation
• honor the sovereignty of tribal and indigenous communities
• support private land conservation
• be guided by science

“I want to note it doesn't say to protect 30% of the nation's farmland. I want to point that out and mention some states have a lot of non-farmland,” said Jim Wiesemeyer, Farm Journal Washington correspondent, on “AgriTalk” this week.

The President’ 30 by 30 plan was a topic of discussion on “AgriTalk,” as Nebraska Director of Agriculture Steve Wellman voiced his concerns of possible implications to agriculture.

“One of the main concerns right now is the lack of information,” Wellman said. “There’s a lack of clarity on what they're really trying to do. In the document, they also mentioned use of the federal government's buying power, real property and asset management — words like that make us nervous the federal government is intending to use their buying power to conserve 30% of the land and 30% of the water in the United States. In a state like Nebraska, where agriculture is the heart and soul of what we do, 92% of our land is used for agricultural production. It's about 45 million acres, and half of that is grassland, which includes the Sandhills. We have a lot of land we think is maybe a target for some of these programs.”

One Washington insider told Farm Journal the President is expected to outline his plan during the Leaders’ Climate Summit on April 22-23. The summit coincides with the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Paris Agreement, as well as Earth Day. The Biden Administration has invited 40 world leaders to attend.

The April date would align with the timeline set — 90 days after the Executive Order was signed on Jan. 27. It’s also expected, when it comes to agriculture, the deal will largely touch CRP, but the rest of the plan could fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior and Forest Service.

“The Department of Interior has the responsibility of developing the report, and the report goes to the National Climate Task Force, but there are a lot of questions about what federal agency or agencies will be responsible for managing the 30 by 30 program, who will make those decisions about what lands and waters are placed in the program and also how will these lands be administered in the future,” Wellman said.

Those answers could be outlined when the President is expected to unveil the details of the program next week.

“We're concerned about being able to keep that productivity and protect personal property rights for the owners,” Wellman said. “That's why we're raising concern about this proposed program.”

Wellman said the root of his concerns dates back to the Obama Administration, with the Waters of the U.S. Wellman called that regulation a ‘power grab’.

“I think we have a reason to be concerned about what federal policies are being developed and how that affects our productivity, and how that might affect our personal property rights,” he added.

Wellman thinks the history of agriculture proves conservation efforts are already underway.

“I think we have a very good track record of being able to demonstrate how responsible we are with utilizing our natural resources and still being productive for what we all need for food, feed, fuel and fiber,” Wellman said. “And it really comes down to a national defense issue, too; we need to be able to produce our own food, feed and fuel.”

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