1) CAFE standards (smaller cars) 2) Intentional increase in fuel costs 3) Car seat requirements (larger footprint per child)
I have also wondered about the taking of private lands for federal and state "parks" Most of the takings were in the more rural western part of the country where the people living there would be more likely to resist government intrusion. It may have been spun as a preservation movement but the result was to reduce their opposition.
Podcast on this topic from a great speaker, biblical worldview:
http://generationswithvision.com/broadcast/obama-administration-threatening-family-farms/