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Show portance of the land as an integral part of the permittee's operating unit. It appears reasonable to give preference to the lessee or permittee if his use has required a substantial investment which must be amortized over a long period of time. Such investment might be either on the Federal land or in an operation of which the Federal land is an integral part and essential to its economic viability. The sale of a tract to a third party, while it is still authorized for an occupancy use, could substantially disrupt a valuable land use such as a powerline, pipeline, or telecommunications facility. Without a preference, a lessee or permittee may be forced to pay an exhorbitant price in order to avoid the uncertainties of tenure beyond the current lease period. Vacation Homesites Recommendation 95: Public lands should not hereafter be made available under lease or permit for private residential and vacation purposes, and such existing uses should be phased out. The Commission recognizes a large demand for vacation homesites throughout the Nation. A special survey of second homes conducted by the Bureau of the Census estimates that there are about 1,550,000 second homes in the United States. Since some of the second homes are jointly owned, an estimated 1,700,000 households out of the 59 million in the entire United States have a direct interest in a second home. Available data show that the number of vacation and seasonal homes almost doubled Classification of public lands for rights-of-way corridors would reduce the area taken out of other productive uses and result in better management for environmental values. nationally between 1950 and 1960. The demand is expected to increase. The nearly 20,000 vacation homes on Federal lands currently account for about 1.2 percent of the total. In view of the location of the public lands in relation to population centers, it is apparent that Federal lands could never fulfill the major share of the national demand for vacation homes. The principal statutory authority used by the Department of the Interior to lease public lands for residential or recreational purposes in nonurban areas has been the Small Tract Act.5 It has been that Department's policy, however, to dispose of lands which are found best suited for residential use, rather than to retain and lease them. Under the Act of March 4, 1915,6 the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to permit the use and occupancy of suitable land within the national forests for periods not exceeding 30 years for the purpose of constructing or maintaining summer homes. The National Park Service has been authorized to permit use and occupancy of national park lands, but may not permit seasonal homes unless designated for such purposes prior to 1964.7 Although villages and subdivisions are permitted in some national parks, in general, residences are allowed by permit only where they are required to house persons « 43 U.S.C. §§ 682a-682e (1964). 6 n. 2 supra. 7 National Park Service Administrative Policies for Recreation Areas § 1 (1968). 223 |