USDA's 1997 National Resources Inventory study that provided evidence of an alarming increase in sprawl taking over primve farmland may have overestimated the numbers.
"The federal government first gave anti-development activists the evidence they needed to fight sprawl with a study released in 1997. That study, which was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), suggested that development had stepped up at an alarming rate during the years 1992 through 1997, eating up thousands of acres of prime farmland. While a strong economy did create a high level of real estate development during those years, the numbers were not nearly as impressive as the USDA first suggested. In fact, the agency has quietly revised down its original figures by about 30 percent."
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
FULL STORY: Government Retreats On Urban Sprawl Numbers
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