This book provides a brief historical overview of public land law in the United States and analyzes the constitutional basis for ownership and regulation of federal lands and natural resources. It covers the statutory basis for withdrawal and reservation of federal lands, for sales and exchanges, and for assessment of the environmental impacts of activities on those lands.
It also includes analysis of the rules for using the water, mineral, timber, range, wildlife, recreation, and preservation resources. Finally, it covers important legal developments — in Congress, in the land management agencies, and in the courts — that have occurred under the Bush Administration.