Policymakers want to put a "for sale" sign on some federal land to address the housing crisis and bolster the country's energy production. On Wednesday, they took one step closer to achieving that goal in two states.
The House Natural Resources Committee voted, 26-17, to move forward with a budget proposal that would allow the production of fossil fuels and real estate development on federal land in Nevada and Utah. The amendment highlights 450,000 acres in Nevada and 10,000 in Utah as being ripe for development, according to KSUT, a Utah National Public Radio station.
Although Republicans lead the committee, one Democrat, U.S. Rep. Adam Gray of California, approved the initiative. The proposal now heads to the Republican-led House for a vote.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to promote access to America’s abundant resources, steward them well and harness their vast potential to benefit the American people,” U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, Republican of Arkansas and chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement.
Supporters argue that the bill would boost housing development in the parts of these states where it’s most needed and generate wealth. As it stands, the entire proposal would lead to $18.5 billion in savings, according to a statement by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican from Nevada who sits on the committee. Critics say the sale would hand over federal land cheaply to corporations.
The proposal aligns with a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development goal. In March, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced a partnership with the Department of the Interior to identify federal land ripe for housing development in an effort to boost inventory nationwide. An increase in inventory may help decrease housing prices, according to the economic theory of supply and demand.
The challenge? Most federal land falls miles away from economic hubs and jobs. Only a small portion, less than 1 percent of what the Forest Service manages (192.9 million acres, according to the Library of Congress), would be close to services and employment centers.