Arizona in danger from top-down overreaching in the battle over Agenda 21

The battle over Agenda 21 and its policy of “sustainable development” is raging across the nation. More than 60 communities have taken action to oppose it.

Meanwhile, several state legislatures, including Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Tennessee, have introduced (and some have passed) resolutions or legislation against Agenda 21 and sustainable policy.

In Arizona, the Senate engaged in the battle by approving a bill calling for the ban of United Nations’ Agenda 21 policies in state and local governments.

Why the debate over a policy that proponents simply describe as a voluntary idea to protect the planet and conserve natural resources for future generations?

Specifically, there are those in positions of authority who are driven by a belief that the planet is in danger from global warming and overconsumption. They believe the only way to fix the problem is to control the flow of resources and wealth, which literally means changing human civilization and the way we live. This forced transformation necessarily leads to a thirst for power and top-down control by a few.

Through enforcement of severe restrictions on the use of resources, energy and forced takings of private property, this issue has become a debate over much more than simple environmental protection and modern planning.

Instead, these policies represent a complete restructuring of our society, values and way of life, leading to shortages and higher prices for energy and food, loss of jobs and control of population size and growth. Scientific research is beginning to show much of the fear of environmental Armageddon is unfounded or questionable.

A major tool for implementation has been the enormous grant-making power of the federal government. Grant programs were created through literally every agency to entice states and local communities to accept sustainable-development policy in local programs, complete with specific actions that must be taken by communities to ensure the money is spent for that implementation. Arizona Senate Bill 1507 sought to protect the state from these restrictions.

President Barack Obama has issued several executive orders to bypass the congressional process and dictate sustainable policy. In 2011, Executive Order 13575 created the White House Rural Council to enforce sustainable-farming practices. In truth, it will lead to food shortages and higher prices because farmers have no ability to make decisions without the approval of 25 government agencies.

Here are just a few of the programs and issues taken from the Agenda 21 blueprint and can be easily found in nearly every community’s “local” development plans: conservation easements, watersheds, viewsheds, bikeways, biosphere reserves, greenways, open space, heritage areas, smart growth and comprehensive planning. Each of these programs leads to more government control and restrictions on energy, water and private property.

In Arizona, a quick look at the sustainability program on the Phoenix website (phoenix.gov/sustainability) will show all these programs in place, including massive parks that remove land from tax roles; mass-transit systems costing taxpayers huge amounts of money; and severe restrictions on energy use and building.

All these practices are out of the Agenda 21 blueprint and are driven by federal and state grants that force compliance.

Sustainable development leads to higher prices, shortages and sacrifice.

The Arizona Senate sought to protect its citizens from such top-down economic control and should be commended and supported.

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Tom DeWeese is president of the Virginia-based American Policy Center. An analysis of Agenda 21 is available on the center’s website, americanpolicy.org.