Please join the Center for American Progress and the D.C. Environmental Film Festival for a screening of the films “Balancing Act in America’s Playground” and “Our Canyon Lands,” followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A.
Directed and produced by Tom Kenworthy and Andrew Satter of the Center for American Progress, “Balancing Act in America’s Playground” tells us how the George W. Bush administration proposed oil and gas drilling close to prized national parks near Moab, Utah. The Obama administration has responded with reforms to protect the country’s truly special places. Have they been successful?
In “Our Canyon Lands,” director and producer Justin Clifton takes us to southeastern Utah, home to stunning landscapes and among the last major wild places remaining in the continental United States, where adventurous nature lovers flock to appreciate the wonder of the wild, which is home to sacred resources vital to tribal communities across the Colorado Plateau. Now these lands are facing the prospect of industrial development. Oil and gas development, uranium and potash mining, and tar sands development are being proposed among the treasured parks, canyons, and rivers that sustain a growing outdoor recreation economy.
Welcoming remarks:
Matt Lee-Ashley, Director of Public Lands, Center for American Progress
Panelists:
Justin Clifton, Director, “Our Canyon Lands”
Jim Enote, Executive Director, A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, New Mexico
Jessica Wahl, Recreation Policy Manager, Outdoor Industry Association
Moderator:
Clare Foran, Energy Reporter, National Journal