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Rep. Newhouse Introduces Legislation to Ease Federal Land Transactions

Press Release

Date: March 26, 2015
Location: Washington, D.C.
Issues: Federal, State and Local Relations Housing and Property

Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the bipartisan H.R. 1651, the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) Reauthorization of 2015. FLTFA authorizes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell surplus federal lands to states, localities, or private entities that can be put to economically-beneficial use. Profits from the sales can then be used to purchase state or private land encumbered by National Parks and other federal areas, advancing conservation goals and improving recreational, hunting and fishing access. Since its initial introduction in 2000, FLTFA reduced federal land ownership by 9,000 acres over the course of a decade.

"Reauthorization of this legislation allows a common-sense approach to land management by granting flexibility in transactions involving surplus federal land," said Rep. Newhouse. "Streamlining the process that permits states and private owners to purchase federal lands marked for disposal allows for the best possible land-use decisions while enhancing local economic and recreational opportunities. Taxpayers and communities impacted by federal land decisions deserve a transparent process to deal with surplus federal land, and this bill is a fiscally-responsible way to encourage economic development."


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