Press Releases

(Video: 1:19)

Washington, D.C. (May 9th, 2016) – Today the Congressional Western Caucus kicked off a new video series to show the opportunities, challenges, and problems facing the West and the country as a whole when it comes to federal land management and the growing federal footprint.

Click here for the video or go to: https://youtu.be/uKm9vAEBybo

Video transcript:

The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres or nearly one-third of the land across the United States. Various agencies own or manage these lands including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and several others.

Federal land ownership is concentrated in the West, where the government owns roughly 45 percent of 11 western states and 60 percent of Alaska. This makes the government the largest land owner in the West, and creates significant economic, cultural, and conservation challenges for western communities. 

East of the Mississippi, the federal government owns only four percent of the land.

Over the years, both the East and West have seen an increase in federal designations and regulations which influence the use of state, local and private land, and create the sprawling federal footprint we have today.

This is your land, America. Stay tuned for more videos from the Western Caucus as we examine federal land control in its many forms.

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