US to control land sales to foreigners near 8 military bases

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

US to control land sales to foreigners near 8 military bases

By MARGARET STAFFORD, TARA COPP and FATIMA HUSSEIN
May 4, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firm’s attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Investment Security is set to propose the rule on Friday. It would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security.

Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses both air and space operations.

As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the security risks and asked the federal government last July for an expedited review.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/china-bomber-spying-cfius-bases-68c3945b8cddb242fbaf3dd88d659021

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Overreach? Just how many military bases does the US have on US soil? I expect hundreds,

if not more...750 bases overseas, and I couldn't rapidly find how many there are in the US, but I suspect that it is at least dozens, if not more. I do know that this pertains to foreigners, but w/ companies buying each other right and left, the world over, this would be an administrative nightmare, e.g., lets say Boeing has a plant near a US base (very likely), and a company in England (very unlikely a company would be allowed to buy Boeing anyways), then think of what Boeing would have to do, sell off its assets near each of the bases, etc.

A mess...an administrative mess I think.

They did something like this around Area 51/Groom Lake, where the authorities bought up all of the land around that supposedly secret base, but that was in a very isolated area, not inhabited by a lot of businesses or people...

[NullTuples]

2. Considering it was the Cold War & we were testing our most advanced jets, Groom Lake made sense?

Area 51 black jets : a history of the aircraft developed at Groom Lake, America's secret aviation base
Bill Yenne
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_1021600