Williams Supports Texas Private Property Owners in ‘Fed. Land Grab’ Dispute

AUSTIN, TEXAS – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Roger Williams (R – Texas), along with 21 members of the Texas Congressional Delegation, today filed an amicus brief in the federal district court in Wichita Falls in support of landowners whose private properties along a 116 mile stretch of the Red River are currently in dispute with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

“Today I stand in support of Texans who have, in many cases, for generations, owned and paid their taxes on property that is legally theirs,” said Williams. “The right to private ownership is a core foundation on which this nation was built, but today the federal government is trying to change the rules to strip Texans of what is rightfully theirs.”

The lawsuit, Aderholt et al. v. Bureau of Land Management et al., was filed on behalf of landowners along the Red River to protect their private property rights against claims from the BLM that tens of thousands of acres of land may now be considered public domain.

Because of the uncertainty and questions about BLM’s claim, landowners are unable to sell, borrow against or improve their land.

In December, Williams voted for the Red River Property Protection Act calling the BLM’s claims “an unconstitutional federal land grab.” That bill awaits action in the U.S. Senate.