A bill authorizing the sale of 30 isolated parcels of Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest property has cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee.
According to Georgia U.S. Senator David Perdue's office, sale of the parcels would create a more cohesive park boundary and put the "outliers" back on local tax digests.
Perdue's office refers to the parcels as small, isolated tracts of land disconnected from the core of the forest, according to a media release. The parcels, described as outliers, have been identified as desired disposal by the United States Forest Service.
If given final approval, proceeds from the sales would go directly to the Forest Service. The money could only be used to buy high-value privately-owned property within the forest boundary, should owners be willing to sell.
"This is an important step toward making the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest more manageable for park rangers," Perdue, R-Ga., said in a Thursday statement. "Updated park boundaries will improve opportunities for hunting, fishing, and hiking in northeast Georgia while making better use of taxpayer money. This legislation is a win-win, and I look forward to seeing it passed by the full Senate."
The legislation, called the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act, is part of the Federal Land Management Act of 2017.
Congressman Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, introduced the companion bill in the House this past spring. U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., is a co-sponsor of Perdue's legislation.
