Billions Wasted Annually on Unused Property
May 6, 2011
Each year, billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted due to property the federal government owns, but does not use. The U.S. government is currently the nation’s largest property owner, with assets estimated at more than 900,000 buildings and structures. There are approximately 14,000 buildings and structures that are designated as excess and thousands more that are underutilized.
In order to streamline the sale or demolition of excess property, President Obama has submitted a plan to Congress that would create an independently commissioned Civilian Property Realignment Board. It is estimated that the plan would save taxpayers $15 billion over the first three years after the Board is fully up and operational.
The White house has created an interactive map that highlights over 7,000 of the underused properties the U.S. government owns. You can view it by state and see how many properties the government owns along with the type of structure it is, the name of the structure, the use of the building, and the size of it. In the District of Columbia, it lists 5 properties as being unused and in the state of California a staggering 1,151 properties are listed.
The White House defines excess properties to be an assortment of things, ranging from office buildings to labs to storage sheds and warehouses. It is basically what is deemed by an agency as no longer needed for mission or program performance. Once they are categorized as “excess,” these buildings can be offered up to other federal agencies or just abandoned.
The federal government owns about 30 percent of all U.S. land, which accounts for more than 650,000,000 acres. Most of this land is deteriorating or in complete disarray due to lack of maintenance. The land needs to be sold off as quickly as possible because when it is owned by the government it limits the access for recreation, mineral exploration, farming, and a lot more traditional uses.
The Property Rights Alliance recently wrote a letter to the members of the House in support of Obama’s plan and to urge members of congress to take Obama’s plan a step further and include land that is no longer in use or needed by the government. To read the letter in its entirety click HERE.