REFERENCE TITLE: 30x30 land program; opposing

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-fifth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2022

HCR 2024

Introduced by

Representative Griffin

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

opposing the biden administration's 30 x 30 land conservation program.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Whereas, Arizona is the sixth largest state in the United States by land area, containing 113,998 square miles of land. The federal government is the largest landowner in Arizona, holding nearly 70 percent of the state's total acreage, including 24 percent of land held under federal trust for tribal communities. Thirteen percent of the state's acreage is state trust lands and only approximately 13 percent is private property; and

Whereas, in Arizona there are 90 wilderness areas that comprise 4.5 million acres, and a large percentage of privately owned land is already being protected with perpetual conservation easements; and

Whereas, many of Arizona's businesses, schools and citizens are involved in or otherwise depend on industries that use federal lands and their natural resources, including those deemed "critical minerals"; and

Whereas, in Section 216 of Executive Order 14008, President Joe Biden directs the United States Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the United States Secretary of Agriculture, to develop a program to conserve at least 30 percent of lands and waters in the United States by 2030 ("30 x 30 program"). If implemented, this program is likely to cause significant harm to the local tax base and economy of Arizona and to disproportionately impact the businesses, schools and citizens of Arizona and other western states; and

Whereas, the 30 x 30 program, if implemented, will conflict with the plans, policies and programs of Arizona that obligate the federal government to coordinate its policy development with the state as also required by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the National Forest Management Act; and

Whereas, legislation known as the 30 x 30 Termination Act was recently introduced in the United States House of Representatives to block the radical 30 x 30 program being pursued by the Biden administration.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

1. That the Members of the Legislature oppose the 30 x 30 program or any similar program that will set aside and prevent the productive use of millions of acres of Arizona's lands, oppose the designation of public lands and national forests in Arizona as wilderness, wilderness study areas, wildlife preserves, open space or other conservation land, and oppose the acquisition of private land from unwilling private landowners.

2. That the Members of the Legislature support the enactment by Congress of the 30 x 30 Termination Act or similar legislation, support the management of public lands and the national forests under principles of multiple use and sustained yield that recognize this nation's need for domestic sources of minerals, energy, timber and food, support the federal government's careful coordination with Arizona to ensure consistency with state and local land use plans and land management policies, and support the protection of private property and honoring state rights as required by law.