At the turn of the 19th century, the Wild West still existed in North America as developments and settlements expanded with little to no regulation, planning, or guidance. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt recognized the risk in allowing unfettered development expansion across pristine lands as it would rob future generations of the ability to enjoy them. During his term in office between 1901 and 1909, he established five new National Parks, 18 new U.S. National Monuments, 51 bird reserves, four game preserves, and 150 National Forests. In total, Roosevelt put an astonishing 230 million acres of land under public protection.
Roosevelt, a Republican, faced heavy opposition from lobbyists, business interests, and factions within his own party as he established order on Western development. He used executive orders without apology to get the job done quickly. Thanks to him, one can travel throughout a developed nation with a population of hundreds of millions yet never be far away from protected lands that can be visited and responsibly enjoyed.
A more contemporary form of the Wild West has emerged in North America in the last couple of decades in the guise of renewable energy developments. As subsidies poured in and demands for renewable forms of energy grew, wind and solar farms have been springing across the Canadian Prairies. Rural citizens began expressing concern as they witnessed productive land being lost to solar farms and a visual blight on the landscape as massive wind turbines sprouted up like daisies. Eventually, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tapped the regulatory brakes on renewable energy development approvals and imposed a six-month moratorium.
Alberta’s premier didn’t just blindly halt approvals on new developments. The six-month pause was used to establish a new, regulatory framework for developing renewable energy sources that ensured prime agricultural land would be protected as would some of Alberta’s majestic mountain-view landscapes. The new regulations were just released and they appear to have struck the necessary balance. Premier Smith’s regulations will require renewable projects to have plans and bonds to reclaim sites when they have reached the end of their cycles. The projects will not be approved on prime farmland or zones with pristine landscapes.