House passes bill to encourage land sales
WASHINGTON — A bill making it easier for the government to sell or swap small and scattered parcels of forest land won unanimous approval on the House on Wednesday.
Lawmakers voted 403-0 to allow the U.S. Forest Service to dispose of tracts smaller than 40 acres and valued at less than $500,000.
Previous law limited such sales or trades to land worth less than $150,000, which the Forest Service told Congress resulted in the sale of only 20 acres in 2014.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep, Mark Amodei, R-Nev., and was consistent with the goal of western Republicans to transfer more federal land into private hands, even in small pieces.
Amodei said the measure targets isolated parcels that are not parts of national forests and have no characteristics that would qualify them for such designation.
Yet managing the properties "takes considerable resources away from the mission of the Forest Service," said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.
Amodei said if made law, the bill would increase potential sales to about 2,000 to 3,000 acres annually, with proceeds going into a Forest Service account to improve recreation or reimburse administrative costs. About 1,277 acres would qualify in Nevada and 132,000 acres nationally, according to the lawmaker.
Contact Review-Journal Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @STetreaultDC
