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Source: Congress.gov
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Subcommittee on federal lands will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the subcommittee at any time. The subcommittee is meeting today to consider four bills, HR 528, sponsored by Representative Pedersen. Post-disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025, HR 655, sponsored by Representative Bentz, the Dalles Watershed Development Act, HR 1276, sponsored by Representative Comer, to remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky, and HR 2876 sponsored by Representative Moore of Utah, the University of Utah Research Park Act. Ask unanimous consent that the following members be allowed to participate in today's hearing from the dais. Gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Comer, and the gentleman from Utah, Mr. Moore. Without objection, so ordered. Under Committee Rule 4F, any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the chairman and the ranking minority member. I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members' opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3, parent O. Without objection, so ordered, I now recognize myself for an opening statement. With the bills on today's agenda, This subcommittee continues its efforts to rebalance the federal estate, empower local communities, and address the needs and concerns of those who live closest to our public lands. The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres, or about 28% of the nation's land mass. Too often, this excessive ownership serves as the main obstacle to effective and accountable land management. The bills under consideration today respond to instances in which federal intrusiveness threatens to stifle business research and student education, limit the expansion of charitable activity, and jeopardize water resource.
The seriousness of these consequences is why committee Republicans continue to emphasize local empowerment as the touchstone of responsible land and natural resources policy. It is no exaggeration to say that such policymaking often plays a decisive role in shaping the destinies of many American communities. The four bills before us today reflect this understanding. Three of them would responsibly reduce the federal estate, whether through transferring ownership or eliminating outdated restrictions. The fourth piece of legislation responds to the growing crisis of wildfire and natural disasters by prioritizing collaboration. with non-federal partners on reforestation and restoration efforts. Let's begin with Representative Bentz's bill, HR 655. This legislation authorizes a modest land transfer of 150 acres from the Forest Service to the city of The Dalles, Oregon. For years, federal bureaucracy has hindered the city's efforts to expand a key water reservoir to serve its growing population. This bill removes that obstacle and ensures local water security while reducing the federal estate in an area where continued ownership no longer makes sense. Next, Representative Moore's bill, the University of Utah Research Park Act, releases the Bureau of Land Management's reversionary interest on nearly 600 acres of land conveyed to the University of Utah in 1968. Today, Research Park, as the area is now called, is a thriving center of innovation that is home to more than 50 companies, 81 university departments, and workforce of over 14,000 people. The federal government's outdated patent restriction serves no practical purpose and only hinders desired growth.
In fact, the patent is currently calling into question the university's right to use the land at all, thereby threatening the considerable education, and economic benefits it has long provided to students in the broader Salt Lake City community. This bill removes that uncertainty and puts the University of Utah fully in charge of the land it has occupied for over half a century. Legislation offered by Representative Comer The Paducah Land Transfer Act addresses a similar problem. The Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club has served the youth of Paducah for over 60 years. Although the club operates on city-owned land, the National Park Service holds an outdated deed restriction on the property. This restriction is blocking planned renovations to expand and modernize the club services to fix this problem ownership of the parcel must be transferred from the city of paducah to the club which can only be resolved by removing the deed restriction that the park service holds on the city's ownership this bill cuts through that red tape and supports a beloved institution that has proved vital services to the city's use. Finally, we will consider the Bipartisan Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025. This bill, which is being led by Representatives Pedersen of Colorado and Edwards of North Carolina, directs the Forest Service and Department of the Interior to use cooperative agreements and contracts to implement vital reforestation projects on federal land. From the storm damage force of the southern Appalachians to the fire scarred hills above Los Angeles, millions of acres of federal land are in urgent need of restoration. This bill enlists the aid of states, tribes, and local governments to address this growing backlog. Similar provisions also included in the broader Fix Our Forests Act
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