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Show ride the objectives of all the others. However, in the absence of an emergency, policies and practices in connection with the retention and management or disposition of the public lands should be based on decisions made after taking into consideration all categories of interest, without assigning a higher priority to the interest of the sovereign. The Federal Government as Proprietor With about one-third of the country's land in its ownership, the Federal Government is a giant landowner. To a substantial extent, Federal ownership of the public lands is a coincidence of history. Most of these lands were obtained as our national territory expanded. Although some were dedicated to meeting specific needs, the remaining unreserved public domain lands are mostly those for which there was neither a Federal need nor demand under Federal laws providing for transfer into non-Federal control. Consideration of policies for these lands must generally start from the premise that they are not in Federal ownership because of some direct tie to Federal sovereign objectives. In its role as proprietor, the Federal Government has much the same interest as other landowners. It wants at least the same degree of freedom as other landowners to manage and use its resources. As a proprietor, the Federal Government wants to maximize the net economic return from sales of land and resources. The Government, in the role of proprietor, has an interest in assuring the availability of sufficient funds to finance programs at a level that will result in a net monetary gain. It is also interested in the furtherance of research to achieve better use of the land. The Federal proprietor, in addition, has an interest in controlling users of the land in order to maintain the resource base and minimize damage or adverse environmental impacts. In performing these and other functions, every owner seeks maximum freedom of action, and the Federal Government is no exception. As owner of the public lands, the Government wants to be free from control by state or local government and to pay no more for the support of local government than other landowners. Before giving consideration to the noneconomic elements of the public interest that may require retention of land, the Federal Government, strictly from the standpoint of a proprietor, is interested in the relationship between the cost of administering lands and the income received. State and Local Governments In the absence of conflicting Federal legislation, state and local governments have constitutional juris- diction over federally owned public lands for many purposes except where exclusive Federal jurisdiction has been ceded over specific areas, as discussed in Chapter Nineteen. Roads, schools, and police protection are examples. Local governments, in particular, obtain substantial revenues from property taxes to finance their functions, and state governments generally supplement these from other tax sources throughout the state as a whole. Federal property is immune from property taxes. State and local governments have an interest in obtaining an equitable share of their governmental costs from the Federal Government as a proprietor of public lands. Other matters of state and local governmental concern can also be affected by Federal actions on the public lands. Zoning and use of non-Federal lands is affected by uses made of contiguous public lands. And activities on public lands can result in environmental pollution on or damage to adjacent or nearby non-Federal lands. State and local governments that will be affected by land use decisions expect, as a minimum, that they will be consulted and have a voice in the Federal decisionmaking process. They expect the United States in that way to give consideration to relevant state and local programs and also to consider the impact of public land actions on state and local governments. These units of government want the United States to share with other landowners in bearing the costs of providing services, not only for the public lands but for the community as a whole. It is in the interest of state and local governments that measures for the control of the health, safety, and welfare of the people apply equally within their boundaries, including public land areas. Because they use public lands for a public purpose, these units of government except a preference over competing potential users, and to purchase or lease public land at less than market value. Users of Public Lands and Resources Those who use the public lands as a basis for economic enterprise and those who use the public lands for personal recreation, together have an identifiable interest in the public lands. This is not necessarily a short-term interest, since all users are concerned that public land policies provide an opportunity for the satisfaction of future requirements as well as present needs. While users as a group have a common interest in the public lands, different classes of users, and, indeed, individual users within classes, often must compete for the opportunity to use the public lands. Many of the controversies over public land policy involves such conflicts and they should be so recognized. 37 |