WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), today announced the congressional passage of his legislation to restore and clarify property rights for over 100 private landowners near Lake Bistineau. This legislation passed as part of the Natural Resources Management Act (S.47).
“The federal government should honor its commitment to Louisiana and these homeowners,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This solution is fair to all and is heading to the President’s desk.”
In 1842, the U.S. government approved an 1838 original survey of lands in Louisiana. Based on this survey, the state transferred 7,000 acres of land around Lake Bisteneau to the Bossier Levee District in 1901, which then conveyed the land to private ownership three years later. In 1967, BLM resurveyed this land and declared a new boundary line in a notice in the Federal Register in 1969, but the agency did not notify all affected landowners of its claim to the lands or file its claim in local property records. After private landowners initiated an inquiry in 2013, BLM maintained its claim on the lands based on the results of the 1967 survey.
This legislation removes all uncertainty regarding the land and mineral rights held by residents, companies or lessees in the area.
The legislation is supported by landowners in affected the area, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Landowners Association, and the National Association of Royalty Owners.
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