Conservatives Oppose the Federal Land Grab in S. 3422

Conservatives oppose legislation that would massively increase funding for federal and state land acquisition. We recognize that the bill, S. 3422, enjoys overwhelming support from Democrats in the House and Senate, significant support from Republicans, and has been endorsed by President Trump, and therefore enactment may be inevitable. We urge Senators to approve amendments that would improve several of the bill’s more objectionable provisions.

The bill, now scheduled for the Senate floor in June, includes two titles. The first would address the multi-billion dollar maintenance backlog in National Parks and other federal lands by spending $9.5 billion of federal offshore energy revenues over five years on deferred maintenance projects. The second title would turn the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) into a true trust fund not subject to congressional appropriation and mandate that $900 million from offshore oil and gas revenues be spent annually in perpetuity on land acquisition by the federal land agencies and on land acquisition and development of recreational facilities by state and local government.

Since enactment of the LWCF in 1965, Congress has appropriated $19 billion (unadjusted for inflation). The four federal land agencies have spent $11.4 billion to acquire over 5 million acres of private land, and state and local governments have acquired over 2.6 million acres. S. 3422 would roughly triple spending on land acquisition over average historic appropriation levels.

The fact is that the federal government already owns far too much land–approximately 640 million acres or 28% of total U. S. acreage. The federal government owns more than half the land in the eleven western states and Alaska. More than 90% of the land in a number of counties is federally owned and more than 75% in many more counties.

The vast extent of the federal estate has severe negative environmental and economic consequences. As evidenced by the need for a $9.5 billion program to begin catching up with deferred maintenance, the federal government owns much more land than it can adequately manage and protect. To mention only one economic impact, federal lands are exempt from property taxes and the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program provides local governments with only a tiny fraction of lost property taxes.

S. 3422 would fund increasing the size of the federal estate annually in perpetuity, which can only exacerbate these negative consequences. It will take private land out of productive use and off the tax rolls in rural areas that can least afford it. And taxpayers will be forced to pay for maintaining these lands in perpetuity.

Moving annual appropriations at whatever level for land acquisition into a permanent trust fund is a bad idea. It is an abdication of Congress’s constitutional responsibility to make appropriations; it creates an entitlement for special interests that will be difficult to end; and it weakens Congress’s ability to reduce federal spending in the future when conditions may warrant lower spending.

If the Senate insists on passing S. 3422 despite these serious objections, then we urge Senators to approve several improving amendments. First, we suggest that the LWCF title should sunset in five years. This would make it consistent with the maintenance backlog title and makes sense because it would give Congress a chance to review the results of increased federal land acquisition before re-authorizing it.

Second, we suggest that all future land acquisition by the federal government should be contingent upon approval by the relevant state and local governments. More federal lands should not be foisted on unwilling local citizens who must live with the consequences. Instead, acquisitions should be confined to places where the people living there approve.

Third, we suggest that the use of eminent domain should be prohibited for all land acquisitions. Condemnation and the threat of condemnation (which has been used frequently over the decades to turn unwilling sellers into willing sellers) are likely to become much more common when government agencies have much more money to spend on acquisition.

Conservatives oppose continuing government land acquisition. If it must be done, then it should be done within stricter limits than currently provided in S. 3422.

The Honorable Edwin Meese III
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Myron Ebell
Director, Center for Energy and Environment
Competitive Enterprise Institute
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Let Freedom Ring, Inc.
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Hillsdale College
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Americans for Limited Government
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NSIC Institute
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Campaign for the American Future
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STAND Foundation, Inc.
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American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston
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Wyoming Property Owner
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