TIME
With a blast at “creeping ugliness,” Interior Secretary Walter J. Hickel this week banned all roadside commercial billboards from 470 million acres of public timber and grazing lands under his jurisdiction. About 5,000 signs, mainly in the Western states and Alaska, will come down as the owners’ current permits expire. Another 800,000 billboards—expressly forbidden by the Highway Beautification Act of 1965—seem to be immune. Although the Senate has passed legislation to compensate billboard owners for removing these signs, further action has been held up in the House Public Works Committee.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com