Bill Would Sell Land Promised to D.C.

By Juliet Eilperin and Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 10, 2005; Page A02

Tucked inside a huge budget bill headed for an upcoming House vote is a provision that could spur the federal government to sell off millions of acres of public land to mining interests, marking a major shift in the nation's mining policy.

The measure, which would generate an estimated $158 million in revenue over the next five years, would also put on the market key parcels of federal land in the District that had been promised to the city for initiatives such as redevelopment along the Anacostia River.