No Net Gain in Federal Lands Act of 2025

This bill requires that in each fiscal year, the number of acres of land, water, and interests acquired by the United States and placed under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture in a state cannot exceed the number of acres of federal land under that Secretary's jurisdiction disposed of in that state during the same fiscal year.

Sec. 2, No net gain in certain federal land ownership: The bill establishes a rule that federal land acquisitions in a state each fiscal year must be balanced by an equal number of acres disposed of in that state. Acquisitions and disposals of fee title must be matched against each other, and acquisitions and disposals of lesser interests (like easements) must be matched against comparable interests.

Sec. 2, Annual inventory; determination, report: The Secretary must complete an annual inventory of all federal land acres under each agency's jurisdiction, categorized by interest type (e.g., fee, easement, mineral interest), for each state and in total. Based on this, the Secretary determines the net increase or decrease in acres from the previous fiscal year. A report containing the inventory and determination must be submitted to the President and Congress by September 30 each year.

Sec. 2, Compliance land disposal: If the Secretary determines that the federal government acquired more land in a state than it disposed of in a fiscal year, the President must, within 24 months, convey enough federal land from that Secretary's jurisdiction to the state to comply with the no-net-gain rule for that year. Such a conveyance is not considered a major federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Sec. 2, Definitions: "Federal land" includes federal lands, waters, and interests, including trust lands, and also covers non-federal land that is leased, held as a conservation easement, or subject to federal oversight that restricts use. It excludes land held by Indian Tribes or individual Indians with alienation restrictions, land acquired through foreclosure, land held by a federal agency as a receiver or liquidating agent, land reverted to the government via a deed clause, land subject to IRS seizure or lien, and land securing a debt to the U.S. "Secretary" refers to the Secretary of Agriculture for land under that department and the Secretary of the Interior for land under that department. "State" includes the several states and the District of Columbia.