Private mineral rights complicate the management of eastern wilderness areas
Since 1975, the Congress has expanded the National Wilderness Preservation System to areas of eastern national forest lands. Many of these eastern lands contain significant amounts of private mineral rights; as a result, the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service experienced management and legal problems in trying to preserve these lands and control private mineral development. In addition, recent attempts by the federal government to acquire private mineral rights in eastern wilderness areas have caused considerable controversy and Congressional debate because of the high costs associated with these purchases. These problems could increase because many other areas under consideration for wilderness designation in the east contain private mineral rights. GAO believes that consideration of private mineral rights is important in deciding whether other eastern lands should be designated as wilderness. However, the Forest Service did not provide information regarding private mineral rights and their potential acquisition costs when it submitted wilderness recommendations to the Congress in 1979. Therefore, GAO recommends that the Secretary of Agriculture direct the Forest Service to analyze the potential conflicts and costs associated with private mineral rights in potential wilderness areas and provide this data to the Congress. In addition, GAO believes that the Congress should consider providing further guidance to the Forest Service by specifying what action should be taken regarding private mineral rights in eastern wilderness areas.
- Research Organization:
- General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA). Office of the Comptroller General
- OSTI ID:
- 6228835
- Report Number(s):
- GAO/RCED-84-101; ON: TI85900450
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Report to The Congress
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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