By Jessica Goad
Next week, the Center for American Progress and the Sierra Club will premiere a series of short documentaries called “Public Lands, Private Profits” that outlines threats to special places on public lands owned by the American people.
The videos profile three stories about the fights to protect certain areas from resource extraction: uranium mining on the edges of the Grand Canyon; a proposed coal mine close to Bryce Canyon National Park; and natural gas drilling in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Watch a preview of the series above.
Some of our country’s best places have already been preserved for future generations to enjoy. But these films show that even places already set aside for conservation can face challenges.
The videos will be released next Tuesday, July 10th. Also, tune in next Wednesday for the live stream of an event featuring the Sierra Club’s Michael Brune, and CAP’s John Podesta and Tom Perriello discussing “The Status of American Conservation in 2012.”
Jessica is the Manager of Research and Outreach for the Public Lands Project at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
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A Different (But Related) Question
In a recent article about the Supreme Court, I read that one of the recent decisions (probably lost in the intense media coverage of the healthcare decision) said something like this: that a private owner of private property can develop it in pretty-much whatever way he pleases, including destroying a wetland if it happens to exist on his property. Unfortunately, the article only mentioned the decision in passing, and didn’t name the case or go into details.
Is this true? If so, what case (by name, please) was involved?
Of course, rather than being a question of what companies can do on public land, this is a question of what private landowners can do — how far it can go, if it destroys ecosystems — on their own land. It’s an equally crucial question, and I’m wondering if people haven’t been paying attention to it, drowned out with all the media coverage of the healthcare ruling?
Thanks,
Jeff
This is the decision but it doesn’t sound that bad — seems like a case where the homeowners were not being treated fairly; see what you think:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/supreme-court-sides-with-private-property-owner-in-landmark-epa-case/
The Sierra Club ought to be equally concerned about the destructiveness of industrial-scale wind and solar projects on our public lands. Our region is among the first to see these fast-tracked projects. They are destroying thousands of acres of fragile ecosystems on one BLM project alone and 40 MILLION acres of wind and solar are planned on BLM lands. The energy company obtained take permits to kill endangered bighorn sheep. They are destroying views from an adjacent state park and bulldozing over protected Native American artifacts and scared sites. The project is so close to a town on 3 sides that people are expected to have serious health problems similar to those seen elsewhere at such close proximity. The wind companies are owned by big oil companies. The Ocotillo Express Wind Energy project does not even meet the minimum federal standard for wind speeds- it looks to be a scam funded with taxpayer dollars to destroy our public land and enrich a big oil company! Our region alone has 40 big wind and solar projects. It’s insane. Yes we need reneawble power – but not this way. Distributed solar on rooftops and parking lots is what our govt. should invest in and promote, as well as alternative fuels such as algae-based and other biofuels, and conservation — NOT these destructive monster-scale projects that are ruining lives, destroying habitat and threatening wildlife on the most massive scale our nation has ever seen.
Note: I have written dozens of stories on this for our award-winning publication. If anyone wants to learn more contact me at editor@eastcountymagazine.org.