Congressional investigators are now looking into a program the Biden administration used to make it easier to sell federal lands near U.S. military bases to groups with ties to Communist China.
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reports Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) “is investigating the Biden-era Department of Defense’s use of the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program to facilitate the sale of land easements near U.S. military bases to nonprofits with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the guise of conservation.”
“This inquiry is part of the Committee’s broader investigation into the regulatory burdens, bad policies, and hidden special interests that characterized the Biden Administration. In a letter to DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman Comer requests a staff-level briefing on security risks and mitigation for REPI partnership,” the Committee reports.
“[T]he Committee is examining the Biden-era Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI). Specifically, the Committee is investigating the Biden Administration’s use of REPI to facilitate the sale of land easements adjacent to military bases to nonprofits with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the pretense of conservation,” wrote Comer.
“[R]eports indicate The Nature Conservancy, a REPI partner involved in 34 buffer projects, has ties to the CCP. Additionally, employees of The Nature Conservancy’s China Program have held positions within the CCP, including roles at the Chinese People’s Political Consultive Conference, the United Front Working Department, China’s State Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. In addition, these employees have contributed articles to the state-run publication People’s Daily,” Comer wrote.
REPI is designed as “a tool for combating encroachment that can limit or restrict military training, testing, and operations,” the Committee notes.
“A key feature of the program is its use of partnerships among military services, private conservation groups, and state and local governments to share the cost of acquiring easements and land near military bases. However, multiple Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports over the years have highlighted the Department of Defense’s shortcomings in adequately assessing the risk of foreign encroachment on federal lands. Through REPI, the Department typically partners with private organizations to purchase easements—legal agreements that restrict how land around military installations can be used. These arrangements, known as “buffer projects,” often incorporate conservation goals, such as habitat and land preservation,” the Committee notes.
“The Committee also found that two additional organizations listed as partners on the Department’s REPI website—Rio Tinto and Rayonier—appear to have offices in the PRC or have worked with organizations affiliated with the CCP,” continued Comer. “These REPI partnerships are particularly worrying given the proximity of projects to military installations. CCP access to buffer projects could pose great risk to U.S. military installations and attempts to breach U.S. installations are not without precedent.”
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Brainless Beijing Biden is a traitor against the United States and should be put in front of a firing squad! He is pathetic and Trump would have pity for him and would probably pardon this anti-American POS!
This sob would sell his mama for a dollar. Obomma would too !
“Why Did Biden Sell Land Near Military Bases To Chinese-Tied Buyers?”
That’s easy, the Biden’s were bought and paid for by the CCP long ago.
Because Biden(and the democrats) sold out to the Chinese Communist party long ago.
Biden was bought and paid for. From spy balloons to Chinese police centers, nothing was too much. I suspect many Americans would be shocked at the depth of how China’s tentacles run through the fabric of our country. Like a cancer.