releases: https://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-obernolte-introduces-bill-convey-federal-land-local-community-needs
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-obernolte-introduces-bill-convey-federal-land-local-community-needs | Rep. Obernolte introduces bill to convey federal land for local community needs | 2021-09-27 | 2021 | 2021-09 | Republican | House | CA | Jay Obernolte | O000019 | obernolte.house.gov | obernolte | https://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases | scraper | U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R- Hesperia) introduced H.R. 5355, the Desert Community Lands Act, on Thursday to convey a total of approximately 8,200 surface acres of land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to the Town of Apple Valley and Cities of Twentynine Palms, Barstow, and Victorville. These conveyances would be at no cost and will give these communities currently landlocked by federal land increased space and control over their surroundings. “Currently, over 90 percent of the land mass in California’s 8th District is owned by government agencies,” said Rep. Obernolte. “As a result, many of our small communities face problems ranging from a lack of control over recreational opportunities to growing pains resulting from a lack of space, including housing, traffic congestion, insufficient wastewater treatment, and lagging development. This bill would bring control of local lands back to our communities and ensure that the needs of our citizens can be met.” Like many cities and towns in the High Desert, the communities of Apple Valley, Barstow, Twentynine Palms, and Victorville are located amidst an extensive land ownership pattern dominated by the federal government. While in some cases federally managed lands provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, such as in our national parks and forests and off-highway vehicle use areas, they can also impede the surrounding communities from responding to the pressures of population growth and fostering economic development. H.R. 5355, the Desert Community Lands Act, requires the Bureau of Land Management to convey the following lands to local governments: | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T20:17:01Z |