ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 6, 2021
The Biden administration is outlining a plan to sharply increase conservation of public lands and waters over the next decade. A report to be issued Thursday recommends a series of steps to achieve a nationwide goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Titled “America the Beautiful,” the report calls for a decade-long effort to support voluntary conservation and restoration efforts on public, private and tribal lands and waters from Maine to California as well as in Alaska and Hawaii. The multiagency effort will create thousands of jobs and strengthen the economy, the report says, while also tackling climate change and environmental justice.