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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Jennifer Yachnin, E&E News, February 3, 2022</span><o:p style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"> </o:p></p>
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Summary<o:p> </o:p></p>
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The Interior and Agriculture departments unveiled the "Task Force on Collaborative Conservation" in conjunction with the Western Governors' Association.<o:p> </o:p></p>
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The task force will focus on issues like wildlife corridors, wildfire and drought response, and forest and rangeland restoration. The group will also contribute to the Biden administration's efforts to create a database to track progress on its conservation
pledge, the America the Beautiful program.<o:p> </o:p></p>
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“This task force will be an important vehicle for enhancing cooperation between the Departments of Agriculture and Interior and our Western partners on the conservation challenges impacting the region, as well as coordinating critical funding like the investments
secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will make a real difference for communities across the West," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.<o:p> </o:p></p>
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Link to article: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2022/02/03/biden-admin-western-governors-launch-conservation-task-force-ee-00005416<o:p> </o:p></p>
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