Halfway through the first 100 days – how are the outdoors faring?
Photo credit: Angel Origgi
They say the first 100 days are the most important time in any new administration. On January 20, Biden was sworn into office, and we shared our 100 days checklist of major actions the administration and new Congress need to take to improve outdoor experiences, protect our climate, and invest in the future of public lands.
Now that we’re halfway through those 100 days, how far have we gotten on some of our key priorities, like fixing core conservation laws, advancing equitable access, and reversing rollbacks in Alaska? In short: better than we could have hoped. The Biden administration has already done a lot of work to put the outdoors, conservation, and climate in a much better place than they were a few months ago. From pledging to conserve 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 to building a Civilian Climate Corps to restore public lands, the new administration has made quick work of our huge list of priorities. Read on to learn what’s happened so far and what you can do to help us check everything off our list.
Introductions
Introduce yourself to your members of Congress and share your conservation priorities.
If you haven’t already, take the time to introduce yourself to your member of Congress and share your conservation priorities. With many new members in both the House and Senate, it’s helpful for new lawmakers to hear that the outdoors and conservation are a priority issue for the constituents they represent.
Climate
Ask the President and Congress to rejoin the Paris Agreement and commit to conserving 30% of lands and waters by 2030.
On his first day in office, President Biden recommitted America to the Paris Agreement – which officially went into effect February 19. In his January 27 Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, President Biden committed to conserving 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. This goal, also called 30x30, has benefits for biodiversity, climate, and outdoor recreation.
Alaska
Demand that President Biden reverse rollbacks in Alaska.
In its final days, the Trump administration moved to lease off the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil and gas drilling, and open the state’s largest national forest to logging. These activities have significant climate impacts, actively undermine the state’s growing outdoor recreation economy, and actually cost taxpayers money. The Biden administration has paused all new oil and gas leases (existing leases will be maintained, but new ones will not be offered), and has asked the Department of the Interior to review potential new leases in light of the agency’s larger responsibilities to steward public lands, including potential climate impacts. The administration also released a memo putting a pause on road construction, logging, and more on roadless lands, including those in the Tongass National Forest.
Land Protections
Ask Congress to reintroduce land protections from the Protecting America's Wilderness Act and the CORE Act.
Congress moved quickly to reintroduce the eight landscape protection bills that it was considering last year, repackaging them as the Protecting America’s Wilderness Plus (PAW+). These bills passed the House twice in 2020 (once on their own, and once with the defense spending bill). The House recently passed them for a third time, and they will move on to the Senate, where we expect a more drawn-out process.
NEPA
Ask the Council on Environmental Quality to take steps to reinforce and restore NEPA.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a core conservation law that ensures that big projects on public lands – from new trails to new mines – get a thorough environmental review and that Americans get a chance to weigh in on what they want to happen. The Trump administration revised how the government implements NEPA, with damaging effects for climate and the public review process. On January 20, President Biden signed an executive order mandating review of agency actions over the past four years that are in conflict with the new administration’s climate and environmental objectives, and based on this direction, we expect CEQ will begin expeditiously working to correct the NEPA changes enacted under the Trump administration.
Equity Outdoors
Ask Congress to prioritize equity on public lands, including through bills like Transit to Trails and Outdoors for All and by working closely with Tribes.
The House recently passed the Outdoors for All Act as an amendment with its package of landscape protections (PAW+). In addition, the Biden administration’s January executive order prioritizes environmental justice, including building an interagency council to pursue environmental justice.
Economic Recovery
Make the outdoors a pillar of economic recovery through a conservation corps and investments in public lands.
In his January 27 Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
Environmental, President Biden committed to building a Civilian Climate Corps that will create training and good jobs, while also conserving and restoring public lands. Several promising bills to provide funding for public lands restoration work have been introduced, and the President will make funding requests to Congress later this spring.
Utah Public Lands
Restore protections for public lands in Utah in coordination with Native American communities, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
In his first days in office, President Biden called for a review on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, which were designated under President Obama and rolled back by President Trump. The Biden team has been working on government-to-government consultations with tribal leadership involved in Bears Ears , and we expect that the administration will continue moving briskly to restore protections for these landscapes.
Mining Reform
Pause egregious mining projects, including in the Boundary Waters and Idaho's South Fork Salmon.
On February 1, the Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the USDA directed the Forest Service to pause actions on most large-scale mining projects pending review, and we understand this to include Boundary Waters and the Midas Gold Stibnite project at the headwaters of Idaho’s S. Salmon River. On March 1, the Forest Service withdrew the final EIS that would precipitate the transfer of Oak Flat to the Resolution mining company and set in motion the destruction of sacred sites and climbing resources.
Recreation
Release guidance from agencies for managing sustainable human-powered recreation.
The administration and public land management agencies have not yet released guidance on human-powered recreation, but this will be and should be a process. We look forward to working with land management agencies to implement more effective management for outdoor recreation.
All in all, the Biden administration is off to an incredibly strong start on the protection of public lands and waters and the recreation opportunities they support. Most of the actions we’ve identified above are going to take time to complete—and will require more input from our community—but that administration is making so many of these issues a priority right out of the gate is a tremendously positive sign. More to do, but we are pumped.