David Thomas: “I rise to introduce the ``No-Net-Loss of Private Lands Act.'' This legislation is a common sense proposal which will…”

“I rise to introduce the ``No-Net-Loss of Private Lands Act.'' This legislation is a common sense proposal which will limit additional Federal land acquisition in the public land States. Throughout our country, the Federal Government continues to acquire greater amounts of land. It is time to stop the growth of the Federal Government and begin to protect private property. This is especially true for those of us living in the West. Roughly 50 percent of the land in my home State of Wyoming is owned by the Federal Government. Many other western States have an even higher percentage of Federal ownership, including Nevada and Alaska that have over 80 percent of their surface land owned by the Federal Government. Unfortunately, the Federal Government has not always been a good neighbor to the people of the West. The Federal land management agencies continue to acquire vast amounts of land and restrict access to these areas for multiple use purposes. This creates great hardship for local communities, destroying jobs and depressing the economy in many areas around the West. The time has come to curb the Federal Government's insatiable appetite for additional land in the United States. The ``No-Net-Loss of Private Lands Act'' is a reasonable approach to stopping the ever-increasing growth of Federal land ownership.”