Pence Unveils Plan to Return Some Federal Lands to States For ‘Development, Innovation, and Opportunity’

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced a plan to return a portion of federally held land to state and private ownership as part of a broader agenda to divest Washington of certain powers he believes belong to the states in keeping with a governing theory called Federalism.

Former Vice President Mike Pence poses with Republican lawmakers from Indiana at the NCSL Summit in Indianapolis on Aug. 16, 2023. Lawrence Wilson/The Epoch Times

INDIANAPOLIS—Former Vice President Mike Pence announced a plan to return a portion of the 1 million square miles of federally held land to state and private ownership.

“The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres of land in this country. It’s 28 percent of the continental United States. I believe that we can preserve our national treasures, and cherish our great heritage and our national parks.