Forest Service: Land Acquisitions Within the Lake Tahoe Basin

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether the Forest Service is treating land owners in the Lake Tahoe Basin fairly in acquiring their environmentally sensitive lands under the Santini-Burton Act, focusing on the extent to which the: (1) Forest Service acquires lands within the basin under the authorized buyout program; (2) land values have been affected by environmentally sensitive classifications; and (3) Forest Service's acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands constitutes a government taking of private property under the Fifth Amendment.