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House Approves Red River Land Settlement Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday approved a bill that looks to resolve a land dispute along the Texas/Oklahoma border at Red River.

U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) sponsored the bill that looks to  establish what it calls a fair and balanced process to conduct an accurate survey of contested 116 mile stretch of land along the river in both states. Property owners have claimed that the Federal Bureau of Land Management is making a grab for stretch. The BLM claims the river has eroded and shifted as much as 2 miles over the past century, and that the now-dry land belongs to the government.

Thornberry said the agency has shown little if any interest in the land until recently, and that most of it is privately owned. The bill is on its way to the US senate for a vote.

Scott Morgan has been an award-winning journalist since 2001. His work has appeared in several newspapers and magazines as well as online. He has also been an editor, freelancer, speaker, writing teacher, author, and podcaster.