US to control land sales to foreign companies, citizens near 8 military bases

Foreign citizens and companies who want to buy land near eight U.S. military bases will need permission from the federal government under a Treasury Department rule proposed by the Biden administration on Friday.

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According to The Associated Press, foreign companies or citizens would need permission to buy land within 100 miles of the bases.

The rule comes after a Chinese firm’s attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota caused an uproar.

The Fufeng Group was set to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base.

The rule, set to be proposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Investment Security, would give the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States expanded powers.

The committee screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors.

CFIUS told Fufeng in September that it was reviewing the proposal. The agency eventually concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to stop the investment.

The plans were eventually dropped after the Air Force said the plant would pose a significant threat to national security, according to the AP.

The new rule would affect these bases:

1. Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale, California
2. Dyess Air Force Base, located in Abilene, Texas
3. Ellsworth Air Force Base, located in Box Elder, South Dakota
4. Grand Forks Air Force Base, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
5. Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, located in Des Moines, Iowa
6. Lackland Air Force Base, located in San Antonio, Texas
7. Laughlin Air Force Base, located in Del Rio, Texas
8. Luke Air Force Base, located in Glendale, Arizona