Your Private Property is at Risk
What You Need to Know About the SUSTAINS Act and More
Hi friends,
It doesn’t seem to me that too many people are aware of some of the current concerns about private property rights. As if property tax were not a big enough concern, some entities believe private investment is a good idea or that all land should be under some kind of conservation or government control. To me ‘public lands’ belong to the public.
“Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.” - John Adams
“Private property and freedom are inseparable.” - George Washington (1796)
What You Need to Know About the SUSTAINS Act and More
Preface
The SUSTAINS Act (Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions) was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This legislation empowers the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to accept private contributions to bolster existing conservation programs, aiming to enhance efforts in areas such as carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat improvement, and the protection of drinking water sources.
While supposedly intended to bolster environmental stewardship, the Act raises serious questions about property rights, donor influence, and the role of government in agriculture. The Biden administration initiated implementation efforts in 2024, and the current Trump administration will play a major role in shaping how it functions.
Background: How the SUSTAINS Act Came to Be
The SUSTAINS Act was introduced by Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) and passed with bipartisan support. It reflects a growing interest in leveraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) to achieve conservation goals without relying solely on taxpayer funding. (PPPs are big interests, i.e. Big Pharma, Bill Gates, giving money to some government entity.)
Key programs potentially affected include:
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is tasked with integrating these funds into existing frameworks. As of March 2025, the USDA continues to develop formal implementation guidelines.
How It Works: Public-Private Conservation Funding
The Act authorizes USDA to accept voluntary donations from corporations, foundations, and individuals. These contributions are meant to supplement, not replace, federal appropriations.
The funds are intended to:
Assist farmers and ranchers with sustainable land practices
Support carbon sequestration, soil health, and wildlife habitat
Address drinking water protection and resilience to natural resource pressures
In August 2024, NRCS opened a public comment period to gather feedback on how to responsibly integrate private funding. That comment period closed on September 16, 2024, and over 1,100 public comments were received. These included passionate concerns about transparency, landowner rights, and corporate overreach.
🔗 Sources:
Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/08/16/2024-18348/request-for-public-input-about-implementation-of-the-sustainability-targets-in-agriculture-to
Irrigation Today: https://irrigationtoday.org/news/usda-seeks-public-input-on-implementing-sustains-act/
Congress.gov: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2606
Benefits and Potential Upside
Voluntary Participation: Landowners opt in.
New Conservation Funding: Brings private resources to areas with underfunded needs.
Public-Private Partnerships: Could foster innovation if well managed.
Environmental Benefit: Aligns with broader goals like climate resilience and soil regeneration.
Risks and Concerns
Critics argue that allowing private funding into public conservation could compromise USDA neutrality:
Corporate Influence: External donors might influence land management priorities.
Loss of Local Control: The line between voluntary participation and indirect coercion is thin.
Permanent Restrictions: Concerns about conservation easements limiting future land use.
30x30 and ESG Tie-Ins: Some see the Act as a gateway to implementing land grabs or federal or globalist environmental targets via financial channels.
In November 2024, lawmakers raised these concerns publicly, requesting safeguards to ensure that private contributions would not compromise farmers’ autonomy or community land-use norms.
🔗 Sources:
American Stewards of Liberty: https://americanstewards.us
Irrigation Today: https://irrigationtoday.org/news/usda-seeks-public-input-on-implementing-sustains-act/
Congress.gov: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2606
Political Responses
Bipartisan Origins, Divided Future: While the bill passed with wide support, reactions have since diverged along ideological lines.
Congressional Concerns (Fall 2024): Growing scrutiny over whether the Act can be misused by donors with environmental or ideological agendas.
Public Comment Flood: USDA’s comment period revealed deep division and high public interest.
What to Watch Under the Trump Administration
Rulemaking Control: Trump’s USDA can define clearer guardrails for private-sector involvement.
Focus on Voluntarism: Expect a pivot away from ESG-style enforcement toward landowner empowerment.
Accountability Measures: Watch for new reporting requirements to track donor influence.
Grassroots Defenders of Property Rights
Two key organizations are leading the charge to inform the public and defend private property rights:
American Stewards of Liberty (ASL), led by Executive Director Margaret Byfield, focuses on fighting federal land grabs, challenging the 30x30 initiative, and defending landowner sovereignty.
American Policy Center (APC), headed by President Tom DeWeese, educates communities about threats like conservation easements, global sustainability schemes, and public-private collusion. APC provides guidance for resisting land-use control efforts at the local level.
Both offer newsletters (subscribe on their websites), action updates, and educational resources to help Americans stay informed about emerging land policies and how they affect property rights.
When Landowners Fight Back - and Win
South Dakota Victory: Landowners successfully pushed for legislation that blocked carbon pipeline condemnations.
Missouri vs. China: Missouri won a legal battle to reclaim control over land from foreign ownership.
Carbon Pipeline Pushback: Property owners across the Midwest resisted easements and eminent domain actions.
Heartland Institute Analysis: A 2024 report warned that carbon capture projects do not provide sufficient public benefit to justify eminent domain. It exposed the legal and ethical risks of allowing private companies to seize land without true common carrier status.
These examples show that local resistance is possible—and effective.
Emerging Threats: From NACs to NZBAs
Natural Asset Companies (NACs): These were introduced to turn nature into tradeable investment units. Public pushback exposed their threat to land rights, and the movement lost steam.
Net Zero Banking Alliances (NZBAs): Now seen as a financial backdoor for achieving the same (NAC) goals. Banks participating in NZBAs can limit lending to farmers and ranchers who don’t comply with environmental targets.
Both are examples of how property control can shift—not through direct laws, but through financial pressure and market access limitations. Slippery Slope – just as regulations slid right into ‘force of law’ that is the administrative state that the Trump administration is battling now.
The SUSTAINS Act, while not directly tied to NACs or NZBAs, could eventually be used in tandem with these financial tools, especially if future USDA rules lack strong protections for property rights.
How to Stay Free on Our Own Land
Staying informed is the first step. The next is sharing that knowledge with others and holding decision-makers accountable.
Subscribe to updates from:
Attend local meetings
Critical - Learn about NGOs in your city and county and what they are working to influence.
Ask local officials how they’re implementing conservation policies
Educate your friends and neighbors
“If the right of use is denied…ownership is a barren right.” — Justice Richard B. Sanders
Why This Still Comes Back to the SUSTAINS Act
The SUSTAINS Act is not just a bill—it’s a potential gateway. It opens the door for private interests to influence land policy, possibly embedding global agendas into American agriculture. While its language emphasizes voluntarism and collaboration, history shows how quickly those words can be used against landowners.
Farms and agriculture are at the heart of our nation’s freedom. Without the ability to work our land, feed our families, and manage our resources, we lose not just our property—but our independence.
EMERGING LEGISLATIVE THREATS TO PROPERTY RIGHTS
🏘️ Texas Senate Bill 15 – High-Density Housing Zoning Changes
In early 2025, Texas lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 15 (SB 15) to address the state’s housing shortage. The bill would allow smaller lot sizes for single-family homes - as small as 1,400 square feet - in new subdivisions over five acres.
Proponents argue that increased density could ease housing costs, but critics warn it:
Undermines local control of zoning and development
Changes the rural and suburban character of neighborhoods
May lead to infrastructure and traffic issues
This move could set a precedent for other states and may lead to increased state-level intervention in traditionally local land-use decisions. In other words, bigger government!
🔗 Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/04/texas-senate-housing-crisis-solution/
🔗 Fort Worth Report: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/03/24/striking-close-to-home-zoning-bills-tackling-texas-affordable-housing-crisis-evoke-emotion/
As with conservation initiatives, landowners must watch for changes that reduce their decision-making authority over private land.
Why the SUSTAINS Act Still Matters
It can be easy to lose sight of the central issue when so many related threats are pressing in from every side—carbon pipelines, housing mandates, conservation easements, and global financial tools like NZBAs. But it all comes back to the principle of private property rights—and how they are being undermined in new, coordinated ways.
The SUSTAINS Act may have been presented as a tool for good—voluntary, flexible, well-funded—but it opens the door to systems that can shift decision-making away from local landowners and toward unelected donors, bureaucrats, or financial coalitions. That’s why vigilance is needed.
This isn’t about fighting against conservation. It’s about protecting freedom.
If we want to preserve farming, ranching, self-reliance, and local stewardship of our land, we must stay informed, speak out, and insist that every conservation program, regulation, or zoning decision keeps the landowner in charge.
“Without the right to property, we are slaves.” John Adams
🧭 Stay alert. Stay informed. And help ensure that private property stays in private hands.
🔗 Recommended Documentary: No Farmers, No Food – EpochTV
As always, do your own research; make up your own mind.
References to other sources do not necessarily reflect my opinions, and I make no claim to their veracity or completeness. I provide them for your consideration.
(AI was used in this article.)
God bless you, God bless President Trump and team, and God bless America!
Stay calm - President Trump is a businessman who operates strategically, and not everything will make sense at first. His plan to shrink government and Make America Great Again is a process, not an overnight fix. Trust the long game, not just the headlines.
This message reflects my personal perspective on current events. While I strive for accuracy, please verify details through official sources linked above. If sharing, I encourage readers to include this disclaimer to ensure clarity.
United we stand. Divided we fall. We must not let America fall.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Until next time…
Please share your thoughts in the comments. Or email me, and let’s have a problem-solving conversation. I hope we can create a caucus with positive, back-to-the-founders’-dream-for-America results. Have a topic you want to know more about?
Some housekeeping…
Going forward, you may need to check your spam folder. And please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If the newsletter isn’t in your spam folder either, you should look in the Promotions tab.
You can always see everything on the website, RationalAmerican.org.
Thanks again for reading! I’m glad you’re here!
Thank you for sharing! And APC and ASL thank you too. I’d love to know how many subscribers you have so I can tell them. ❤️