[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 378 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 378

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to exchange certain lands of 
  the Columbia Basin Federal reclamation project, Washington, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             February 9 (legislative day, January 30), 1995

Mr. Gorton (for himself and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to exchange certain lands of 
  the Columbia Basin Federal reclamation project, Washington, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. LAND EXCHANGE.

    The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the 
``Secretary'') is authorized to convey to the Boise Cascade Corporation 
(hereinafter referred to as the ``Corporation''), a corporation formed 
under the statutes of the State of Delaware, with its principal place 
of business at Boise, Idaho, title to approximately seven acres of 
land, more or less, located in sections 14 and 23, township 36 north, 
range 37 east, Willamette Meridian, Stevens County, Washington, further 
identified in the records of the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of 
the Interior, as Tract No. GC-19860, and to accept from the Corporation 
in exchange therefor, title to approximately one hundred and thirty-six 
acres of land located in section 19, township 37 north, range 38 east 
and section 33, township 38 north, range 37 east, Willamette Meridian, 
Stevens County, Washington, and further identified in the records of 
the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior, as Tract No. GC-
19858 and Tract No. GC-19859, respectively.

SEC. 2. APPRAISAL.

    The properties so exchanged either shall be approximately equal in 
fair market value or if they are not approximately equal, shall be 
equalized by the payment of cash to the Corporation or to the Secretary 
as required or in the event the value of the Corporation's lands is 
greater, the acreage may be reduced so that the fair market value is 
approximately equal: Provided, That the Secretary shall order 
appraisals made of the fair market value of each tract of land included 
in the exchange without consideration for improvements thereon: 
Provided further, That any cash payment received by the Secretary shall 
be covered in the Reclamation Fund and credited to the Columbia Basin 
project.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

    Costs of conducting the necessary land surveys, preparing the legal 
descriptions of the lands to be conveyed, performing the appraisals, 
and administrative costs incurred in completing the exchange shall be 
borne by the Corporation.

SEC. 4. LIABILITY FOR HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES.

    (a) The Secretary shall not acquire any lands under this Act if the 
Secretary determines that such lands, or any portion thereof, have 
become contaminated with hazardous substances (as defined in the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9601)).
    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the United States 
shall have no responsibility or liability with respect to any hazardous 
wastes or other substances placed on any of the lands covered by this 
Act after their transfer to the ownership of any party, but nothing in 
this Act shall be construed as either diminishing or increasing any 
responsibility or liability of the United States based on the condition 
of such lands on the date of their transfer to the ownership of another 
party. The Corporation shall indemnify the United States for 
liabilities arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act (42 U.S.C. 9601), and the Resource 
Conservation Recovery Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.).

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act.
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