'Drill baby drill' ― Trump opens up nature to big energy
Key takeaways
- America's beloved national parks and public lands face conservation rollbacks and sell-offs as the administration of US President Donald Trump pushes for fossil fuel and timber extraction.
- National parks make up one part of over 600 million acres (243 million hectares) of US public lands that span forests, deserts, waterways and wildlife refuges.
- "These include some of the most ecologically intact and biodiverse lands in the country," said Jenny Rowland-Shea, who directs public lands policy at the Washington-based think tank, Center for American Progress.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
America's beloved national parks and public lands face conservation rollbacks and sell-offs as the administration of US President Donald Trump pushes for fossil fuel and timber extraction.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ac6JYosemite National Park is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site, but other public lands in the US are facing increased exploitation Image: Nikolai Okhitin/Zoonar/picture alliance Advertisement From the majestic valleys of the Grand Canyon to the granite peaks of the Yosemite National Park and ancient trees of Alaska's Tongass National Forest, US President Donald Trump has pledged to make America's federal nature reserves "beautiful again."
National parks make up one part of over 600 million acres (243 million hectares) of US public lands that span forests, deserts, waterways and wildlife refuges.