On the recordMay 7, 2002
The problem this bill is intended to address is the result of two different but related mistakes. The first mistake was to include this small parcel of private property within the boundaries of a Wilderness Study Area. The second was the encroachment onto Federal lands by the Sand Hills Resort. The Bureau of Land Management might have resolved the encroachment administratively had the area not been within a Wilderness Study Area. Thus, the two mistakes compounded each other. Clearly, the sale of part of a WSA raises serious concerns. We would strongly oppose any legislation authorizing such a sale to a landowner who had purposely trespassed on Federal land as a means of eventually acquiring property that might not otherwise have been available for disposal. Therefore, allowing this landowner to purchase a small parcel for fair market value seems a reasonable solution to a difficult problem, and therefore we will not oppose H.R. 2818.
Source
govinfo.gov
