Clinton and Trump Outdoor Priorities
Trump, Clinton hold different outdoor policy priorities As the Presidential election heats up, the two leading candidates continue to lay out starkly different approaches to park and recreation issues.
Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton disagree particularly on uses of federal lands. Trump has made clear in speeches, in position papers and in the Republican Party platform that his first priority for the public lands is energy development. “Producing more American energy is a central part of my plan to Making America Wealthy Again – especially for the poorest Americans,” he said at a campaign appearance September 22 in Pittsburgh. “America is sitting on a treasure trove of untapped energy – some $50 trillion dollars in shale energy, oil reserves and natural gas on federal lands, in addition to hundreds of years of coal energy reserves.”
On the disposal of federal lands the GOP platform says, “Congress shall immediately pass universal legislation providing for a timely and orderly mechanism requiring the federal government to convey certain federally controlled public lands to states. “We call upon all national and state leaders and representatives to exert their utmost power and influence to urge the transfer of those lands, identified in the review process, to all willing states for the benefit of the states and the nation as a whole.” Clinton would contest any attempt to dispose of public lands. “In recent years, special interest groups have been supporting efforts to dispose of or sell off America’s public lands, which would privatize national forests, national monuments, and even national parks,” her website says. “Clinton strongly opposes these proposals to sell off America’s natural heritage.”
Clinton has another priority – expansion of recreation opportunities throughout the country. Her headline proposal is for an American Parks Trust Fund to “existing parks, and enhancing America’s great outdoors – from our forests and coasts to neighborhood parks.” Clinton’s website says the fund would double the size of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). “This trust fund will replace, expand the scope of, and provide funding at roughly double the authorized level of the (LWCF) to address infrastructure needs, reduce the maintenance backlog in national parks, forests, and public lands and more.”
The inaugural debate of the campaign was held September 26 in Hempstead, N.Y., at Hofstra University. Additional debates are set for October 9 and 19. A vice-presidential debate will be held October 4. At the September 26 debate neither candidate mentioned national parks, outdoor recreation, conservation or federal lands. In fact, the candidates said little substantively about domestic policy, period.
