Washington, D.C. — Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced the Incentivizing REPI Sales Act of 2025. The bipartisan, bicameral bill promotes military readiness by encouraging the land around military installations to be preserved for the military to train, test, and operate.
The House companion is led by Reps. Greg Murphy (R-NC) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA).
Senator Budd said in a statement:
“As the United States confronts new and dangerous global threats, our military must maintain its readiness and lethality through realistic training at home installations. I’m proud to partner with Senator Kaine to encourage additional REPI participation in order to strengthen military readiness.”
Senator Kaine said:
“Our Armed Forces need resilient, modern bases so they can undergo the most realistic and high-quality training. I am a longtime supporter of the DOD’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program, which helps meet that goal while simultaneously conserving public lands. This legislation will incentivize participation in this program by creating a tax incentive for property owners who sell land or property for the military to use for training, resilience, and other important purposes. I am proud to work with Senator Budd on this legislation, and I will continue to do everything I can as a Senator representing one of the most military-connected states in the country to support our military installations.”
Dr. Murphy said:
“The Department of Defense’s (DOD) Readiness and Environment Protection Integration (REPI) is essential to our national security and invaluable ecosystems. Avoiding land use conflicts in areas used by our military is imperative to their ability to conduct critical training and maintain readiness. The Incentivizing Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Sales Act supports this successful initiative by incentivizing landowners to participate in this important program when considering the sale of property near military installations.”
Rep. Panetta said:
“Rising land costs are making it more difficult for the military and conservation partners to protect the land around bases. Our bipartisan bill would make it easier to preserve those critical buffers by waiving the capital gains tax for landowners who sell to conservation organizations for Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) projects. By strengthening the REPI Program, we can ensure military installations remain mission-ready while safeguarding the surrounding environment.”
Jennifer Morris, CEO of the Nature Conservancy, said:
“For decades, the Readiness Environmental Protection Integration, or REPI, program has successfully facilitated partnerships to preserve landscapes for both conservation value and their contributions to national security. These land protection projects help support the military community while also preserving off-base habitats for threatened and endangered species. As the demands of development increase and intensify amongst the remaining available landscapes around these installations, these REPI agreements will be a win for both conservation and national security.”
Background:
- The Department of Defense’s (DOD) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program supports cost-sharing agreements between the Military Services, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and private conservation organizations to avoid land use conflicts near military installations, address environmental restrictions that limit military activities, and increase resilience to weather events and other environmental concerns.
- REPI is a key tool used by DOD and its partners to protect the military’s ability to train, test, and operate. Development of lands and loss of habitat near military installations, ranges, and airspace can lead to restrictions or costly and inadequate training and testing alternatives.
- Preserving natural areas is vital for keeping skies dark, which is necessary for night training, protecting habitats off-base for endangered species, and facilitating nature-based approaches to mitigate flooding and severe weather.
- REPI successfully protected 27,000 acres around Fort Liberty, NC in order to provide a flight corridor for Grey Eagle drone training and conduct Robin Sage, the final training exercise of Special Forces qualification. This action also helped recover the local population of red-cockaded woodpeckers.
- The Incentivizing REPI Sales Act excludes the appreciated land value from federal capital gains tax for landowners who sell land or easements near military installations specifically for REPI purposes.
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