Montana’s governor says the state will not participate in President Joe Biden’s climate plan to conserve 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030.
Biden announced his conservation goal to address climate change shortly after taking office. Earlier this year, he rolled out several executive orders related to it, including a pause on new oil and gas leases on public land.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Gov. Greg Gianforte said the state will not help advance Biden’s so-called 30-by-30 plan, calling initial efforts "inefficient" and "wasteful."
Gianforte’s letter is in response to the federal agency soliciting feedback on a new tool designed to track progress of conservation efforts across the country.
Gianforte says the Biden administration is taking actions that overstep its authority, are vague in detail and harm private landowners by encouraging further regulation and influencing property values.
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