Kaine & Budd Introduce Bill to Boost Military Readiness & Environmental Conservation Through Military Land Use Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the Incentivizing REPI Sales Act, bipartisan legislation that would help maintain military readiness, promote environmental conservation, and increase bases’ resiliency to weather events by providing financial incentives for landowners to sell land to the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Readiness and Environment Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Specifically, the legislation would exclude the appreciated land value from federal capital gains tax for landowners who sell land or property for the purposes of the program.
“Building and maintaining resilient bases is crucial to our national security. I’ve long supported the Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program, which helps us do that while also promoting conservation of public lands and critical habitat. I’m proud to work with Senator Budd in introducing this legislation to incentivize participation in the REPI program and will continue to do all that I can as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to support our military installations,” said Kaine.
“As global threats continue to grow and adapt, our military must maintain its readiness and lethality through realistic training at home installations. The REPI program has been used successfully to conserve land around military installations while promoting environmental protection. I’m proud to partner with Senator Kaine to provide financial incentives to landowners so that REPI participation grows and military readiness is strengthened,” said Budd.
“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,” said Jennifer Morris, CEO of the Nature Conservancy.
The 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. The REPI Program is a key tool used by the DOD to protect the military’s ability to adequately train, test, and operate because it helps preserve natural areas that are vital for keeping skies dark for night training, while also protecting the habitats of endangered species and facilitating nature-based approaches to mitigate flooding and severe weather.
Kaine has long been committed to ensuring the U.S. military has the resources needed to keep our country safe and prepared, including by advocating for crucial resiliency efforts. Last year, Kaine applauded the selection of the Hampton Roads region as the first defense community in the Interagency Regional Coordinator for Resilience Pilot Program—a move he advocated for. In June 2024, Kaine successfully secured key provisions to support Virginia’s servicemembers and defense community in the Committee-passed Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including the authorization of an additional $10 million for the REPI Program and a provision to direct the DOD to brief the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on risks related to any disasters that threaten military installations and surrounding civilian infrastructure.
Full text of the Incentivizing REPI Sales Act is available here.
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