Current:Home > BackMissouri governor bans Chinese and Russian companies from buying land near military sites-InfoLens
Missouri governor bans Chinese and Russian companies from buying land near military sites
View Date:2024-12-23 12:32:30
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Companies from China, Russia and other countries blacklisted by the U.S. no longer can buy land near military sites in Missouri under an order enacted by the state’s governor Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s executive order prohibits citizens and companies from countries deemed threatening by the federal government from purchasing farms or other land within 10 miles of staffed military sites in the state. The federal government lists China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as foreign adversaries.
Parson’s move comes after a Chinese spy balloon’s flight across the U.S. lent momentum to decadeslong national security concerns about foreign land ownership.
Ownership restriction supporters often speculate about foreign buyers’ motives and whether people with ties to adversaries such as China intend to use land for spying or exerting control over the U.S. food supply.
Parson, a cattle rancher, on Tuesday told reporters that he believes his action goes as far as legally allowable for executive orders. He said he’ll be watching to see what legislation, if any, state lawmakers can pass on the issue by the mid-May end of session.
Republican Senate President Caleb Rowden has said passing such a law is a top priority for the session that begins Wednesday.
“While we have had no issues at this point, we want to be proactive against any potential threats,” Parson said.
Parson added that foreign entities currently do not own any land within 10 miles of military sites in the state.
Foreign entities and individuals control less than 2% of all U.S. land, and Chinese companies control less than 1% of that, according to the latest available report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which includes 2022 data. Canadian investors own the largest percentage of foreign-held land.
Missouri was among several Midwest states to pass laws in the 1970s that prohibited or restricted foreign land ownership amid concerns over Japanese investment. Missouri law completely banned foreign land ownership until 2013, when lawmakers passed a bill allowing as much as 1% of agricultural land to be sold to foreign entities.
Parson, along with every other state senator present for the vote, voted in favor of the bill, which also included changes to Missouri’s animal abuse and neglect law and a longer maximum prison sentence for stealing livestock.
Chinese entities owned 42,596 acres (172 square kilometers) of Missouri agricultural land as of 2021 — just a little under half of the roughly 100,000 agricultural acres (404 square kilometers) owned by all foreign entities, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Much of that land is used for corporate hog farms in northern Missouri and is owned by a Chinese conglomerate that purchased Smithfield Foods Inc. in 2013.
Limitations on foreign individuals or entities owning farmland vary widely throughout the U.S. At least 24 states have restrictions.
veryGood! (564)
Related
- Darren Criss on why playing a robot in 'Maybe Happy Ending' makes him want to cry
- Chinese and Russian coast guard ships sail through the Bering Sea together, US says
- John Amos, Star of Good Times and Roots, Dead at 84
- Katy Perry wears zippered bag dress to Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show
- Joel Embiid injury, suspension update: When is 76ers star's NBA season debut?
- Florida enacts tough law to get homeless off the streets, leaving cities and counties scrambling
- Erin Foster Shares Where She Stands With Step-Siblings Gigi Hadid and Brody Jenner
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 5
- Early Black Friday Deals: 70% Off Apple, Dyson, Tarte, Barefoot Dreams, Le Creuset & More + Free Shipping
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 5
Ranking
- Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
- Judge rejects computer repairman’s defamation claims over reports on Hunter Biden laptop
- Officials identify driver who crashed into a Texas pipeline and sparked a 4-day fire
- Gossip Girl's Kelly Rutherford Shares Update on Life in Monaco After Years-Long Custody Battle
- About Charles Hanover
- Selena Gomez Shares Honest Reaction to Her Billionaire Status
- Helene is already one of the deadliest, costliest storms to hit the US: Where it ranks
- Erin Foster Shares Where She Stands With Step-Siblings Gigi Hadid and Brody Jenner
Recommendation
-
Artem Chigvintsev Returns to Dancing With the Stars Ballroom Amid Nikki Garcia Divorce
-
Sam Schmidt opens paralysis center in Indianapolis to rehabilitate trauma victims
-
'Deep frustration' after cell phone outages persist after Hurricane Helene landfall
-
All-season vs. winter tires: What’s the difference?
-
Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
-
Police officer fatally shoots man at a home, New Hampshire attorney general says
-
2024 National Book Awards finalists list announced: See which titles made it
-
MLB playoffs: Who are the umpires for every AL and NL Wild Card series?