Despite increased polarization on nearly every issue, there is widespread bipartisan support for our public lands and waters. According to a 2019 Conservation in the West poll, more than two-thirds of voters in Western states, a majority of Democrats and Republicans, think Congress should emphasize conservation on public lands.
“I’d drill in a cemetery if there was oil there,” is how one oil executive described the rationale to open up public lands to oil drilling.
Our public lands and waters, which have been protected since President Teddy Roosevelt signed a law protecting them over 100 years ago, are under assault by “the greed of big corporations, eager to weaken restrictions in the pursuit of profits,” said Robert Redford, executive producer of Public Trust, an investigative documentary being released tonight at 8 ET on YouTube.
And despite increased polarization on nearly every issue, there is widespread bipartisan support for our public lands and waters. According to a 2019 Conservation in the West poll, more than two-thirds of voters in Western states, a majority of Democrats and Republicans, think Congress should emphasize conservation on public lands.
“Our country is fortunate to have millions of acres of public lands, including National Parks, monuments, wildlife refuges and wilderness set aside for future generations,” said Redford.
“Sadly, these lands that belong to you and me are under unprecedented threats. Public Trust tells the story of citizens who are fighting back. It’s a much-needed wake-up call for all of us who want to preserve our unique and wild cultural heritage.”
Through the work of Montana investigative journalist Hal Herring, Public Trust focuses on three land-based conflicts — the slashing of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah; the potential permanent destruction of the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Minnesota; and the de facto sale of one of the last wild places in America, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The film makes a clear case for protecting our public lands and how the extractive industries, driven by only greed and profit, are trying to rob us and future generations of our shared American experience and heritage.
The award-winning film is being released ahead of National Public Lands Day, Saturday, Sept 26.
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