In an attempt to bring down America’s ever-rising cost of housing by increasing its supply, the secretaries of the interior and of housing and urban development say they are looking at turning some of the country’s 500 million federally protected acres into new housing developments. The goal of a new task force announced Monday will not only be to identify lands for use, but to streamline the permitting processes as well. 

The secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, and the secretary of housing and urban development, Scott Turner, announced the new Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing to focus on locating parcels of land suitable for constructing some of the seven million new homes that they say the country needs. 

Writing in the opinion section of the Wall Street Journal, Messrs. Burgum and Turner describe their respective departments’ roles in this new effort to combat housing affordability. In the last five years, the average cost of a home in America has risen by more than 33 percent, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Mr. Turner says his department will be responsible for finding locations “where housing needs are most pressing and guide the process by working with state and local leaders who know their communities best,” while Mr. Burgum pledged to “identify locations that can support homes” while respecting the environment and land-use restrictions imposed by state and local governments. They promise that “rural and tribal communities will be a focus of this joint agreement” going forward. 

“Working together, our agencies can take inventory of underused federal properties, transfer or lease them to states or localities to address housing needs, and support the infrastructure required to make development viable — all while ensuring affordability remains at the core of the mission,” the secretaries write. 

Despite the criticism that will likely come from environmentalists and those who believe that federal lands should go untouched, Messrs. Burgum and Turner say their effort will be a targeted approach to easing the cost of housing. 

“This isn’t a free-for-all to build on federal lands, although we recognize that bad-faith critics will likely call it that. It’s a strategic effort to use our resources responsibly while preserving our most beautiful lands,” Messrs. Burgum and Turner say. 

The areas most impacted by such a joint task force will almost certainly be located out west, where federally protected land is much more abundant, and where it is far more likely to be closer to major metro areas. Cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Spokane, and Seattle would be most prime for expansions in their exurbs. Other areas that could be reviewed for such housing developments include the upper Great Lakes region, the gulf coast, or the Appalachian mountain range.