Washington Examiner : The government owns 28% of America — and has no clue what’s underneath it
Last week, President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce America's dependence on foreign mineral suppliers. The military must now map vulnerable supply chains and shift them toward domestic and allied sources. The next day, the Interior Department acknowledged a critical problem jeopardizing that strategy: Much of the country still lacks ...
Agri-Pulse : How one state’s poultry lawsuit became a warrant-free search of another state’s farms
What is a state to do when it cannot regulate farmers outside its borders? The answer, apparently, is to sue someone else for 20 years, then force an unconstitutional settlement that binds farmers unrelated to the lawsuit. In 2005, Oklahoma did exactly that. It sued six large poultry companies for alleged pollution in the Illinois River Watershe ...
The Hill : When farming requires federal permission
Imagine the federal government threatening you with a $62 million fine for making routine improvements to your own land. It sounds like something out of an Orwell novel, but that was the reality facing Wyoming landowner David Hamilton. After purchasing a neglected farm near Worland, Hamilton set about restoring an irrigation ditch that had been ...
Proposed bill restores protections for farmers and ranchers
Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis recently introduced legislation to protect farmers, ranchers, foresters, and other property owners from overly broad interpretations of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Shortly after CWA was passed in 1972, Congress carved out an exemption to protect routine land management practices like plowing fields, maintaining drai ...
Ahead of Independence Day, homeowners are warned against flying American flags
On July 4, 1776, a group of patriots mutually pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor when they signed the Declaration of Independence. The document signaled the official severing of ties with Britain and the establishment of a new nation, where individuals were free to enjoy their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. F ...
Free to Flourish : Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday
Free to Flourish is PLF's Environment and Natural Resources quarterly newsletter. If you agree that a better world is possible through liberty—that a thriving environment and free individuals are not in conflict—subscribe below to follow along. Welcome to another edition of Free to Flourish. As millions of Americans prepare ...
Western Livestock Journal : Idaho just restored the property line
In 2005, the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation received a troubling call from one of its members. A Fish and Game officer had crossed onto their private land—no warrant, no permission, no notice. Over the years, more ranchers, farmers and landowners came forward with additional, more troubling stories. To prevent ongoing abuse of property rights, Idah ...
The Hill : America’s mineral dependence is dangerous and unnecessary
America is not heavily dependent on oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, yet disruption there has still shocked our economy. Imagine the consequences if we were more dependent. In critical minerals, that vulnerability is real: The U.S. is heavily import-reliant for dozens of minerals essential to modern life. For several of them, more than ...
Salt Lake Tribune : Utah can welcome data centers — without selling out its principles
Between our two families, we're raising four children in Cache County, next door to the proposed data center in Box Elder County. As researchers working in environmental and energy policy at the Pacific Legal Foundation, handling data centers has been top-of-mind. And as parents, we spend a lot of time thinking about what kind of state our kids wil ...