Sec. 2. Findings
189 words·~1 min read·
/bill/113/hr/4901/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds as follows: At statehood, Congress granted each of the western States lands to be held in trust by the States and used for the support of public schools and other public institutions. Since the statehood land grants, Congress and the executive branch have created multiple Federal conservation areas on Federal lands within the western States, including national parks, national monuments, national conservation areas, national grasslands, wilderness areas, wilderness study areas, and national wildlife refuges.
Because statehood land grant lands owned by the western States are typically scattered across the public land, creation of Federal conservation areas often include State land grant parcels with substantially different management mandates, making land and resource management more difficult, expensive, and controversial for both Federal land managers and the western States. Allowing the western States to relinquish State trust lands within Federal conservation areas and to select replacement lands from the unappropriated public land within the respective western States, would— enhance management of Federal conservation areas by allowing unified management of such areas; and increase revenue from the statehood land grants for the support of public schools and other worthy public purposes.