The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Reauthorization of 2018 (H.R. 5133) would permanently reauthorize funding for a program that allows the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to sell isolated parcels of land and use the revenue to buy other land that has a high conservation value.

The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), has drawn support from 83 groups, including the Nature Conservancy, the National Association of Counties, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Western Governors’ Association.

The bill would add versatility to public land use and the ability to prioritize to meet use needs. The proposal would allow protection of certain environmentally sensitive areas, or valued areas, and allow for public use of larger consolidated areas, including those providing for additional OHV recreation.

H.R. 5133 also would require agencies to spend their funding within four years of a land sale or forfeit the money to buy land in other states.