Less than twenty percent of the nearly $1 trillion bill actually contains agriculture-related programs. The remaining eighty percent is composed of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or “food stamps”). In our opinion, the massive food stamp portion of the legislation sucks all the air out of the room, and leaves little time for substantive debate on the part of the bill important to conservation.

Insuring America’s agricultural sector is healthy and productive is a national security and economic priority. Unfortunately, unintended consequences of some agriculture programs harm water, air, and wildlife conservation–and can result in greater public costs. We believe conservation and the American taxpayer would be better served if Congress debated these two distinct policies separately.

While we may have different reasons for supporting this effort, the following groups agree that our country is best served by an open and transparent debate on these two distinct policy areas.

Heritage Action for America
Americans for Prosperity
Club for Growth
Freedom Works
American Commitment
Citizens Against Government Waste
R Street Institute
Center for Individual Freedom
National Taxpayers Union
Taxpayers for Common Sense
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
American Conservative Union

Todd Wilkinson, chronicler of the New West.

Let us know if you know any examples of businesses launched by visionaries who decided “where” before “what”.

The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan

The Council was founded in 1982 by one of the great Republican conservationists in history, Michigan’s Governor William Milliken.

Here is a YouTube video of the meeting’s host, Gov. Rick Snyder, connecting the environment to the the economy.

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) speaks at Oak Ridge.

The National Journal reports on Tennessee Republican Senator Lamar Alexander’s energy speech at Oak Ridge.

Let’s aim high in 2016!

ConservAmerica 2016 Tracking Poll- May 2013

Funeral procession in Arlington National Cemetery

Here is a marvelous video of great American parks and landscapes accompanied by the United States Marine Band playing, “America, The Beautiful.”

Solar panels near downtown Salt Lake City

The old adage that ‘seeing is believing’ is true when it comes to clean energy. Advocates have gone hoarse trying to convince others that pointing America to a cleaner energy future would launch a new American century of innovation, wealth creation, and good jobs. The problem is, businesses and people with vested interests in the status quo have just as convincing arguments that might not be the case.

Germany is a global leader in clean and renewable energy innovation and adaptation. Unless you travel there and see it for yourself, it is all-too-easy to dismiss as just another socialist, central planning disaster in the making.

Sen. Bramble traveled to Germany and saw for himself what our country is leaving on the table. The Salt Lake Tribune reports on the changing views of both Sen. Bramble and ALEC on the topic here.

ConservAmerica is doing the hard work in the conservation movement. We promote conservative approaches to environmental issues. We work with leaders and activists who have been conditioned or mislead over the past few decades that conservation is owned by the other party. So, when we receive this sort of positive feedback, we have one reaction:

Bully!

(Theodore Roosevelt used the word “Bully” as an exclamation. In the Baby Boomer Thesaurus, “Right On” is interchangeable!)