This is a major threat, especially to rural economies, culture and traditional ways of life

Dear Editor,

I just read an article in an ag newspaper out of South Dakota about a recent proposal by the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission) that would allow a new type of company with rights to own and control public and private lands in the U.S. to be listed on the NYSE. This control would include National Parks, game refuges, BLM, USFS, agricultural land (both farming and rangeland) and private conservation easements, literally much of the U.S.!

These NAC’s (Natural Asset Companies) would not only hold rights to AND management of forests, wetlands, farm and rangeland, coral reefs, etc., but management would not be based on traditional accounting and returning profits to shareholders. These NAC’s would be managed for “natural processes” and prioritizing “conservation” and “sustainable practices”. (Pretty vague and dangerous terms!) In other words, these companies could and would be purchased and controlled by foreign and domestic investors that would be adversarial to agriculture, mineral extraction, timber harvests, hunting, trapping, recreation on public lands or any economic use of these lands!

This would be authorized by attempting to control “Climate Change”, yup you guessed it, although I am not sure of the connection, literal or legal or regulatory, between SEC & climate control!

This is similar to Biden’s “30×30” agenda & other progressive attempts at government control of lands and people. This is a major threat, especially to rural economies, culture and traditional ways of life that depend on working people and taxes that provide goods and services, as this proposal would remove working lands and people from production!

The SEC quietly introduced this proposal in September 2023 with an unusually short 21-day public comment period. However, on December 28, 2023, the SEC approved another short comment period with a deadline of January 18, 2024! So much for that!

Three senators from Nebraska and Idaho have questioned his proposal, but I have heard nothing else in the news media or from Montana legislators protesting this action. Do we really want investors that do not have America’s best interest in mind in control of our agricultural land, energy production, timber, minerals, recreation and enjoyment of our lands?

C.T. Ripley

Billings

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