Sprawl Advances

Urban sprawl threatens 95 million acres of farmland in the next several decades, according to a USDA report.

1 minute read

September 3, 2001, 10:00 AM PDT

"Sprawling urban development will eat up 95 million acres of farmland in the next few decades, according to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Overall, almost 170 million acres of land -- including cropland, rangeland, pasture and forest -- are threatened, the report found. Environmental Defense has called for Congress to pass legislation to preserve these open spaces... USDA's Economic Research Service concluded that local, state, and federal land preservation programs may need to spend as much as $130 billion over the next 30 to 50 years to buy development rights on threatened farmland.

Thanks to Tom Collins

Read the full story: Sprawl threatens 95 million acres of

Sunday, September 2, 2001 in The Star Democrat

Land Use District of Columbia

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