I knew that the owners were trying to sell to the FS but the current administration cut the "land and water conservation funds" for land acquisition (they come from a tax on off shore oil drilling). The money can be used for other things, so the land acquisition portion has been severly limited. So it sounds like the owners got an intermediary to purchase until the funds can be allocated for the purchase. If I were the line officer on this acquisition, I'd make sure all the hazardous were addressed before I made it NFS lands.
