The property rights movement has had a significant impact on the nation's environmental policies since 1980. The groups identified with the movement commonly oppose federal regulation or intrusion on land that is privately held, especially in cases where federal involvement is in the form of environmental laws that limit the owner's full or partial use of the land. The movement began with the Sagebrush Rebellion of the mid-1970s, when legislators from states in western United States sought the transfer of federal public lands to state control.

Researchers have identified numerous groups and organizations that fall under the general classification of the environmental opposition, one of which is the property rights movement. These groups commonly oppose federal regulation or intrusion related to land that is privately held, especially environmental laws that limit the owner's full or partial use of the land. This segment of activists...