Jack Kingston: “I just wanted to point out, Mr. Speaker, that when we hear about the bill having more money for acquiring more land, it…”

“I just wanted to point out, Mr. Speaker, that when we hear about the bill having more money for acquiring more land, it is important to keep in perspective how much land is actually owned by the United States, which is approximately one-third. Thirty-three percent of the land in America is owned by the Federal Government; and that does not include military bases, it does not include easements for interstate highways, it does not include State and local parks and recreation areas. So if we put in all that, it may be as high as 40 percent. I am not on the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations anymore, but I had the honor of serving on it for 6 years, and I would often ask the director of the National Park Service or Fish and Wildlife or the Bureau of Land Management, how much land is enough? We know politically 435 Members of Congress can always go home as heroes, session after session, saying I bought more land, I protected the environment, and yet nobody knows how much is good.”