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Show PUBLIC LAND LAW REVIEW COMMISSION Background The public lands of America date back to the time of the Union's formation. Then, and soon thereafter, seven of the original States ceded to the Central Government some 233.4 million acres of land lying westward to the Mississippi River. Thereafter, through purchase and treaty, the United States acquired an additional billion acres of public domain, the last acquisition being the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Altogether, nearly 2 billion acres of land in 32 States have been part of the public domain at one time or another. At first, these lands were sold for their revenue. Eventually, however, as the pioneers swept westward, the revenue-raising policy was replaced by one stressing settlement and development of the land. The Homestead Act of 1862 was the first of a series of settlement and development laws enacted over a period of some 60 years-the desert land law, mining laws, and the various homestead lawrs-all designed to meet a particular need of the period. Meanwhile, many millions of acres were transferred to private ownership through military, railroad, and other land grants, including various grants to the States. Through these means, nearly 1.2 billion acres have passed from Federal ownership, leaving approximately 715 million acres of the original public domain lands in Federal ownership. Of these 715 million acres, 364 million are in the State of Alaska. Add to this the 52 million acres acquired for various purposes, and federally owned lands today amount to approximately 770 million acres-about one-third of the Nation's total land area. Some of these lands are in national forests and some are reserved for national parks, wildlife refuges, and other specific uses; but more than half constitute the "vacant and unappropriated" public domain lands which have never left Federal ownership and have not been dedicated to a specific use pursuant to legislative authorization. The Act establishing the Public Land Law Review Commission contains in section 10 the following definition: As used in this Act, the term 'public lands' includes (a) the public domain of the United States, (b) reservations, other than Indian reservations, created from the public domain, (c) lands permanently or temporarily withdrawn, reserved, or withheld from private appropriation and disposal under the public land laws, including the mining laws, (d) outstanding interests of the United States in lands patented, conveyed in fee or otherwise, under the public land laws, (e) national forests, (f) wildlife refuges anc* ranges, and (g) the surface and subsurface resources of all such lands, including the disposition or restriction on disposition of the mineral resources in lands defined by appropriate statute, treaty, or judicial determination as being under the control of the United States in the Outer Continental Shelf. Working with the Commission are a 33-member Advisory Council and the representatives of the 50 State Governors.1 1 See p. 807, et seq. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 68-62999 For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402 - Price S8.25 |