Throughout our nation’s history, American citizens have taken the most pride in their ability to have ownership of their own property. Many people put their sweat and tears into the land that has been owned by generations of their family. Farmers and ranchers work from sunrise to sunset to produce crops or raise livestock. Families buy homes to raise their children and dream about their grandchildren visiting them someday. Missourians are proud of their property, and we should do everything in our power to protect our property rights.

During the 2013 legislative session, which ended on May 17, the Missouri Legislature delivered to the governor a measure that protects such rights. Senate Bill 265 would prohibit the state and any political subdivision from implementing any policy recommendations that infringe on private property rights without due process and are traceable to the United Nation’s Agenda 21 — a plan relating to sustainable development and adopted in 1992 by the United Nations — or any other international law or ancillary plan of action that contravenes the federal or state constitutions.

Although Agenda 21 hasn’t been ratified by the U.S. Senate, the initiative’s influence is beginning to spread throughout the country. The United Nations highly touts the initiative on its website, “Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally, and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, governments, and major groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.” Agenda 21 poses a serious threat to our property rights and agricultural industry, all in the name of sustainability for the environment. We need to act now to protect citizens’ property from unconstitutional intrusion by the government. When a warning comes up, we don’t wait for the danger to spread or for the problem to become worse — we are proactive and take action immediately to eliminate the threat, and SB 265 does just that.

We are already finding red flags in and near our state. You may have heard of the National Blueways System, which is part of the federal America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and aims to promote the protection of rivers and their watersheds. However, the initiative can be traced to the same goals as Agenda 21. Last January, officials in Arkansas announced that the White River and its watershed is designated the nation’s second National Blueway (the first was the Connecticut River). The White River Watershed National Blueway covers 17.8 million acres across 60 counties of Missouri and Arkansas. Any property in this vast area will be subject to countless regulations, and in some cases, property and livelihoods could be jeopardized if the federal government deems farmland “non-productive and/or frequently flooded,” or if the property does not meet new federal regulations regarding tilling of soil and water runoff from fields and pastures. The Memorandum of Understanding for the White River Watershed National Blueway specifically states that the Blueway System seeks to “protect” the habitat through “easements” and land “acquisitions.” Many people are angry about this interference by the federal government, the lack of notification given to citizens, and the fact that input was not sought from local county governments or the public; not to mention the many constitutional questions surrounding this program.