How the Oil and Gas Industry Is Reshaping American Conservation

The oil and gas industry's growing influence on the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, and Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation is reshaping the politics and policies surrounding the conservation of American land and wildlife.

Part of a Series

Idea of the Day

Idea of the Day

Two bedrock principles have guided the work and advocacy of American sportsmen for more than a century. First, under the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, wildlife in the United States is considered a public good to be conserved for everyone and accessible to everyone, not a commodity that can be bought and owned by the highest bidder. Second, since President Theodore Roosevelt’s creation of the first wildlife refuges and national forests, sportsmen have fought to protect wildlife habitat from development and fragmentation to ensure healthy game supplies.

These two principles, however, are coming under growing fire from an aggressive and coordinated campaign funded by the oil and gas industry.

For more on this topic, please see:

Oil and Gas Industry Investments in the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International by Matt Lee-Ashley

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.