[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 372 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 372

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Federal Government should 
establish a national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the land 
                and ocean of the United States by 2030.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 22, 2019

Mr. Udall (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Harris, Mr. Booker, 
 Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Feinstein, and Ms. 
 Warren) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Federal Government should 
establish a national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the land 
                and ocean of the United States by 2030.

Whereas access to public land, nature, and a healthy environment should be a 
        right for all people, as that access is essential to the health, well-
        being, identity, cultures, and economic prosperity of the United States;
Whereas the United States faces a conservation and climate crisis, with nature 
        in a steep decline and greenhouse gas emissions not declining at the 
        rate scientists say is needed in the United States and worldwide;
Whereas scientists are documenting a rapid loss of natural areas and wildlife in 
        the United States and throughout the world, including--

    (1) a finding that, from 2001 to 2017, a quantity of natural areas 
equal to the size of a football field disappeared to development every 30 
seconds in the United States, constituting more than 1,500,000 acres per 
year;

    (2) a finding, published in the journal ``Science'', that the United 
States and Canada have lost 2,900,000,000 birds since 1970, representing a 
decline of 29 percent;

    (3) the identification by State fish and game agencies of approximately 
12,000 animal and plant species in the United States that require proactive 
conservation efforts to avoid extinction, of which approximately \1/3\ will 
be lost in the next decades;

    (4) a finding by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service that the 
United States has lost more than \1/2\ of all freshwater and saltwater 
wetlands in the contiguous 48 States; and

    (5) the 2019 findings by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform 
on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services that--

    G    (A) human activities are damaging \2/3\ of ocean areas;

    G    (B) only 3 percent of ocean areas remain pristine;

    G    (C) 15 percent of mangroves remain;

    G    (D) 50 percent of coral reefs remain; and

    G    (E) at the current rate of losses, less than 10 percent of the 
Earth will be free of substantial human impact by 2050;

Whereas climate change is accelerating the decline of nature in the United 
        States;
Whereas the Third National Climate Assessment found that climate change--

    (1) is reducing the ability of ecosystems to provide clean water and 
regulate water flows;

    (2) is limiting the ability of nature to buffer communities against 
disasters such as fires, storms, and floods, which disproportionately 
impacts communities of color and indigenous populations; and

    (3) is having far-reaching effects on marine and terrestrial wildlife, 
including by altering habitats, forcing changes to migratory patterns, and 
altering the timing of biological events;

Whereas the decline of natural areas and wildlife in the United States follows 
        global patterns, as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on 
        Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that approximately 1,000,000 
        plant and animal species are threatened by extinction over the coming 
        decades as a result of land conversion, development, climate change, 
        invasive species, pollution, and other stressors;
Whereas nature, like the climate, is nearing a tipping point where the continued 
        loss and degradation of the natural environment will--

    (1) push many ecosystems and wildlife species past the point of no 
return;

    (2) threaten the health and economic prosperity of the United States; 
and

    (3) increase the costs of natural disasters, for which the Federal 
Government spent about $91,000,000,000 in 2018;

Whereas the existing protections for land, the ocean, and wildlife in the United 
        States are not sufficient to prevent a further decline of nature in the 
        United States, with--

    (1) only 12 percent of the land area in the United States permanently 
protected, mostly in Alaska and the West; and

    (2) only 26 percent of Federal ocean territory permanently protected, 
the vast majority of which is in the remote western Pacific Ocean or 
northwestern Hawaii;

Whereas the United States has historically demonstrated leadership and resolve 
        to protect, conserve, and restore the natural environment, including 
        through a network of protected areas;
Whereas that network of protected areas is protected and supported by a variety 
        of conservation laws passed at other times of crisis;
Whereas the United States--

    (1) ranks among the top 5 countries in the world for the amount of 
wilderness-quality land and ocean remaining; and

    (2) has the conservation experience and traditions necessary to make 
great strides in the protection of the remaining natural areas in the 
United States for future generations;

Whereas the Federal Government, the private sector, civil society, farmers, 
        ranchers, fishing communities, and sportsmen have a history of working 
        together to conserve the land and ocean of the United States;
Whereas the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States, consisting of waters 
        within 200 miles of the coastline--

    (1) covers 4,500,000 square miles;

    (2) is 23 percent larger than the landmass of the United States; and

    (3) provides a home to various ocean habitats and ecosystems, 
including--

    G    (A) coral reefs;

    G    (B) kelp forests;

    G    (C) mangroves;

    G    (D) seagrass beds; and

    G    (E) deep-sea corals;

Whereas conserving and restoring nature is one of the most efficient and cost-
        effective strategies for fighting climate change;
Whereas, to confront the deterioration of natural systems and the loss of 
        biodiversity around the world, and to remain below a 1.5 degrees Celsius 
        increase in average global temperature, scientists recommend that 
        roughly \1/2\ of the planet be conserved; and
Whereas, as a step toward achieving that goal, some scientists have recommended 
        that all countries commit to conserving and protecting at least 30 
        percent of the land and 30 percent of the ocean in each country by 2030, 
        with a long-term goal of conserving \1/2\ of the planet: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) given the evidence as of October 2019, the Federal 
        Government should establish a national goal of conserving at 
        least 30 percent of the land and 30 percent of the ocean within 
        the territory of the United States by 2030;
            (2) the goal described in paragraph (1) should be 
        accomplished through an effort that includes the objectives 
        of--
                    (A) working with local communities, Indian Tribes, 
                States, and private landowners to conserve natural 
                places and resources;
                    (B) improving access to nature for all people in 
                the United States, including for communities of color 
                and economically disadvantaged communities;
                    (C) sequestering carbon and greenhouse gas 
                emissions in the land and ocean of the United States;
                    (D) increasing public incentives for private 
                landowners to voluntarily conserve and protect areas of 
                demonstrated conservation value and with a high 
                capacity to sequester carbon and greenhouse gas 
                emissions;
                    (E) focusing work at a large-landscape scale that 
                is biologically and ecologically meaningful;
                    (F) preventing extinction by recovering and 
                restoring animal and plant species;
                    (G) stabilizing ecosystems and the services of 
                ecosystems, restoring degraded ecosystems, and 
                maintaining ecological functions; and
                    (H) increasing economic opportunities for farmers, 
                ranchers, fishermen, and foresters; and
            (3) the goal described in paragraph (1) and the objectives 
        described in paragraph (2) should be accomplished through an 
        effort that--
                    (A) makes science the foundation of conservation 
                decisions by providing communities access to sound, up-
                to-date scientific information about--
                            (i) the land and waters around those 
                        communities; and
                            (ii) how the land and waters around those 
                        communities are changing in a warming world;
                    (B) respects Tribal sovereignty and the right to 
                Tribal self-determination so that American Indian, 
                Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities can 
                fulfill what each views as priorities for the 
                stewardship of the natural, cultural, and historic 
                resources of the community;
                    (C) protects private property rights and 
                traditional land uses and enables land owners to pass 
                down the working land of those land owners to the next 
                generation because private land accounts for 
                approximately 60 percent of the land area in the 
                contiguous 48 States;
                    (D) addresses environmental justice and the 
                necessity of a more equitable distribution of the 
                benefits of nature to all people, including communities 
                of color and economically disadvantaged communities;
                    (E) takes into account a wide range of flexible and 
                enduring conservation solutions;
                    (F) involves the design and implementation of 
                objectives and strategies locally and regionally; and
                    (G) provides tools and resources to ensure that the 
                areas described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) are 
                effectively managed for conservation values and to 
                sequester carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.
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