The U.S. government owns more than 2/3 of Utah's land. My bill would free up some of that land

Utah's housing and land shortages are unprecedented. The federal government owns more than 2/3 of Utah's land. My bill would free up some of that land to be responsibly used for housing. https://t.co/59qz3kRbHa

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) April 11, 2022

Deseret News reports, “Sen. Mike Lee has a novel approach to help alleviate Utah’s housing crunch while putting more of the vast amounts of federal land into local hands.

The Utah Republican introduced legislation Friday to allow a state or local government to buy parcels of federal land at a reduced price to address housing supply and affordability in their areas. The proposal would require the property be used for housing, subject to a density requirement, and protects against development of expensive second homes.

‘Supply is not meeting housing demand in Utah, and the federal government’s land ownership is a significant cause of our restricted housing stock,’ Lee said in a statement.”

Read the entire story.