The acquisition of 3.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land by foreign entities in 2020, nearly 2% of the entire U.S. landmass, is a serious threat to national sovereignty. Driven by foreign-controlled wind energy projects, this trend has increased since 2017, with diverse ownership from countries like the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and others. Congress recently removed provisions addressing this, indicating a failure to protect national interests.
A proposed SEC rule allowing the trading of unspecified land “rights” to foreign nations, creating “natural asset companies” (NACs), raises fears of foreign control. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman and 31 other members of Congress are demanding answers, expressing concerns about fundamental changes to U.S. land access, management, use, and ownership. The rule’s potential impact on economic activity, especially in energy and mineral production, is significant, with worries about exploitation by countries like China, Russia, and Iran.
Increasing foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land and regulatory proposals for foreign investments in undefined land “rights” pose a significant threat to the nation’s control over vital resources. The potential for adversarial nations to influence U.S. land use, especially in energy production, raises concerns about the security and autonomy of the United States. Urgent attention and corrective actions are necessary to safeguard national sovereignty and responsibly manage critical assets.
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Foreigners Bought 3 Million Acres of U.S. Farmland Last Year, Now Control 2% Of The U.S.
USDA says foreign-owned wind energy projects account for much of the increase.
By Luke Rosiak | Dec 19, 2023
(DailyWire.com) – Foreigners bought 3.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land in 2020, and now own or lease nearly two percent of the entire US landmass, according to new federal data.
“Foreign persons held an interest in over 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2022,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a report released this month. “This is an increase of over 3.4 million acres from the December 31, 2021 report and represents 3.4 percent of all privately held agricultural land … and nearly 2 percent of all land in the United States.”
Interest in U.S. farmland from other countries was once rare, but has skyrocketed in recent years, apparently largely because of foreign-controlled wind energy farms. “Foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land increased modestly from 2012 through 2017, increasing an average of 0.6 million per year. Since 2017, foreign holdings have increased an average of nearly 2.9 million acres annually, ranging from 2.4 million acres to over 3.4 million acres per year,” USDA said.
Citizens of the United Arab Emirates controlled 46,496 acres; Venezuelans 28,218; Saudis 18,586; Egyptians 17,645; firms tied to Iran 2,463, Syrians 2,574; Pakistanis 1,677; Cuban investors controlled 848 acres; and Russians 73 acres. One firm listing its country as the “State of Palestine” had possession of 11,381 acres.
The annual report comes days after Congress sent the president a defense bill that, at the last minute, removed provisions aimed at clamping down on the practice.
In 2022, a Chinese food manufacturer called the Fufeng Group bought 300 acres about 20 minutes from an Air Force base in North Dakota that is “the backbone of all U.S. military communications across the globe.” The top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee both opposed the move.
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds introduced an amendment to this year’s defense funding act that would block China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying farmland. The Senate passed the amendment 91-7.
The Republican-controlled House included only a milder version of the amendment. Yet when the National Defense Authorization Act came out of the reconciliation committee, which normally irons out differences between the two chambers’ bills, the final text removed not only the Senate amendment, but also the House one requiring the Department of Defense to write a report on the issue. The bill was sent to the president last week…
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According to USDA’s latest AFIDA report, which is based on 2021 data, over 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land are owned by foreign investors and companies. This corresponds to 3.1% of all privately held agricultural land and 1.8% of all land in the United States.Nov 2, 2023
LOTS OF DATA HERE:
32 Members of U.S. Congress Demand Answers From SEC on Proposed Rule To Allow Foreign Land “Rights”
Usurper Biden wants to sell off the U.S. to foreign powers.
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Hageman Rips Head Of SEC For Rule To Allow Foreign Land ‘Rights’
Harriet Hageman is hot over a proposed SEC rule that would allow foreign nations to buy undefined “rights” to certain private and public lands.
By Leo Wolfson | December 15, 2023
(cowboystatedaily.com) – U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman signed a letter with 31 other members of Congress on Friday demanding answers from the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about a newly proposed rule that would allow buying and selling of undefined “rights” to certain private and public lands, including to foreign nations.
The SEC proposal would let investors buy into the stock market companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for the purpose of protecting nature — including public lands — and making money.
The proposal, if passed, would clear the way for the NYSE to offer this new kind of investment known as “natural asset companies,” or NACs.
More Than ESG
The idea is to list companies with environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) commitments to public or privately owned lands, and then put a monetary value to the resulting benefits, such as clean air or wildlife habitat.
To qualify as an NAC, a corporation would need to show how it’s improving the lands in its portfolio, which could include “conservation, restoration or sustainable management.”
The rule states that despite the rising prevalence of ESG in the marketplace, “investors still express an unmet need for efficient, pure-play exposure to nature and climate.”
Once in control of the land, NACs will be prohibited from engaging in “unsustainable activities” like energy production, logging and grazing; however, farming would still be allowed.
Hageman said the purpose of this rule is to end all economic activity on the lands.
“This misguided ‘rule’ has the potential to fundamentally change U.S. land access, management, use and ownership as we know it,” she said in a Friday press release. “As if that weren’t bad enough, the rule places no limits on who can buy these lands – China, Russia, Iran, and other bad actors would be free to participate and shut down U.S. energy and mineral production.”
Concerns about foreign nationals like China buying up land in America has become an increasing concern in recent years….
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cowboystatedaily.com/2023/12/15/hageman-rips-head-of-sec-for-rule-to-allow-foreign-land-rights/
Canadian investors own the largest portion of foreign-held U.S. agricultural land with 31% (12.8 million acres) of the total and 0.97% of all U.S. agricultural land.
www.fb.org/market-intel/foreign-investment-in-u-s-ag-land-the-latest-numbers
Following Canada, investors from the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany own 0.37% (4.9 million acres), 0.21% (2.7 million acres), 0.19% (2.5 million acres) and 0.17% (2.3 million acres) of U.S. agricultural land, respectively.
www.fb.org/market-intel/foreign-investment-in-u-s-ag-land-the-latest-numbers