§1314 Rights and powers retained by United States; purchase of natural resources; condemnation of lands

Summary

The United States keeps the power to control navigation and to regulate lands and waters for commerce, navigation, national defense, and international affairs. Those federal powers come before state rules, but do not include ownership or the rights to manage, lease, use, or develop lands and natural resources that were given to the states and others under section 1311. In wartime or when needed for national defense, if Congress or the President says so, the United States gets the first chance to buy those natural resources at the market price. The government may also take and use land for those purposes, but it must follow legal process and pay fair compensation.