[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4827 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4827

To authorize a land exchange involving the acquisition of private land 
    adjacent to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona for 
    inclusion in the refuge in exchange for certain Bureau of Land 
    Management lands in Riverside County, California, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 2006

Mrs. Bono (for herself and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; 
            which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize a land exchange involving the acquisition of private land 
    adjacent to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona for 
    inclusion in the refuge in exchange for certain Bureau of Land 
    Management lands in Riverside County, California, 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. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Certain non-Federal lands adjacent to the Cibola 
        National Wildlife Refuge in La Paz County, Arizona, are 
        desirable for Federal acquisition to protect important riparian 
        areas and migratory bird and other wildlife habitat.
            (2) The location of certain Bureau of Land Management 
        inholdings in Riverside County, California, renders the land 
        essentially useful only for farming and, therefore, of limited 
        use and enjoyment potential for the general public.
            (3) These Bureau of Land Management inholdings are 
        appropriate for transfer to private ownership in exchange for 
        lands that will have higher public use values.
            (4) The acquisition of the non-Federal lands adjacent to 
        the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge will greatly increase 
        management efficiency of the refuge and promote public access, 
        use, and enjoyment of the refuge.

SEC. 2. LAND EXCHANGE, CIBOLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ARIZONA, AND 
              BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT LAND IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY, 
              CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Conveyance of Bureau of Land Management Land.--In exchange for 
the land described in subsection (b), the Secretary of the Interior 
shall convey to River Bottom Farms of La Paz County, Arizona, all 
right, title and interest of the United States in and to certain 
Federal land administered by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land 
Management consisting of a total of approximately 80 acres, and more 
specifically described as Lot 4 of Section 24, Township 8 South, Range 
22 East, San Bernardino Meridian, Riverside County, California. The 
conveyed land shall be subject to valid existing rights, including 
easements, rights-of-way, utility lines, and any other valid 
encumbrances on the land as of the date of the conveyance under this 
section.
    (b) Consideration.--As consideration for the conveyance of the 
Federal land under subsection (a), River Bottom Farms shall convey to 
the United States all right, title, and interest of River Bottom Farms 
in and to two parcels of land contiguous to the Cibola National 
Wildlife Refuge in La Paz County, Arizona, consisting of a total of 
approximately 40 acres and more specifically described as follows:
            (1) The W\1/2\NW\1/4\SE\1/4\ of fractional Section 7, 
        Township 1 South, Range 23 West, Gila and Salt River Base and 
        Meridian, La Paz County, Arizona, which is also known as parcel 
        number 301-05-005B-9.
            (2) The W\1/2\SW\1/4\NE\1/4\ of such Section 7, which is 
        also known as parcel number 301-05-008-0.
    (c) Equal Value Exchange.--The values of the Federal land and non-
Federal land to be exchanged under this section shall be equal or 
equalized by the payment of cash to the Secretary or River Bottom 
Farms, as appropriate, pursuant to section 206(b) of the Federal Land 
Policy Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1716(b)). The value of the land shall 
be determined by the Secretary through an appraisal performed by a 
qualified appraiser mutually agreed to by the Secretary and River 
Bottom Farms and performed in conformance with the Uniform Appraisal 
Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (U.S. Department of Justice, 
December 2000).
    (d) Exchange Timetable.--The Secretary shall complete the land 
exchange under this section not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, unless the Secretary and River Bottom Farms 
mutually agree to extend such deadline.
    (e) Administration of Acquired Land.--The land acquired by the 
Secretary under subsection (b) shall become part of the Cibola National 
Wildlife Refuge and be administered in accordance with the laws and 
regulations generally applicable to the National Wildlife Refuge 
System.
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