GOP Lawmakers Want Inventory of All Federally Owned Lands

摘要

Republicans in the House and Senate will shortly introduce legislation to create a national database of all the land the federal government owns. The need for the bill arises from a surprising fact: The government doesn’t know how much property it owns, according to an aide to Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who will introduce the House version. Several scattered databases do exist, but there’s no comprehensive inventory, the aide said. That lack of information creates problems when agencies want to make judgments on resource development and land leasing, according to the aide. Known as the Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform (FLAIR) Act, the measure would require the Interior Department to develop and maintain a list of all the land, buildings, and other structures the federal government owns. The bill is expected to have Democratic support, according to the Westerman aide. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) is expected to introduce a companion version in the Senate, according to one of his aides.