Conservation Bill Would Fund US Purchases of Private Land

Conservation Bill Would Fund US Purchases of Private Land
Park rangers meet in front of Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, Calif. on June 18, 2016. David Calvert/Getty Images
Matthew Vadum
Matthew Vadum
contributor
|Updated:

WASHINGTON—An omnibus package of public-lands legislation that would create a $9 billion slush fund every 10 years to nationalize privately owned lands for conservation purposes has gone to President Donald Trump for his signature, after the bipartisan bill easily passed both chambers of Congress with veto-proof supermajorities.

Conservatives are skeptical of the measure, which would let the federal government expand its real estate portfolio.