Number: RL34273
Title: Federal Land Ownership: Current Acquisition and Disposal Authorities
Authors: Ross W. Gorte and Carol Hardy Vincent, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: The federal government owns about 653 million acres, more than a quarter of the land in the United States. These lands are heavily concentrated in 12 western states (including Alaska, but not Hawaii), where the federal government owns more than half of the overall land area, ranging from 30% in Montana and Washington to 84% in Nevada. Four federal agencies - the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), all in the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in the Department of Agriculture - administer about 95% of those lands, as shown in Appendix A. This report describes the primary authorities of these agencies for acquiring and disposing of land. It provides the background for congressional consideration of measures to acquire or dispose of particular parcels or to modify the authorities. The 110th Congress faces questions on the adequacy of existing authorities, the nature, extent, and location of their use, the total acreage of federal lands, and the sources and adequacy of land acquisition funds, among other issues.
Pages: 11
Date: December 9, 2007