[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4827 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4827

 To provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of Natural Resources 
 Conservation Service property in Riverside, California, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2010

 Mr. Calvert (for himself, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Baca, and Mrs. 
  Bono Mack) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of Natural Resources 
 Conservation Service property in Riverside, 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 makes the following findings:
            (1) Since 1935, the United States has owned a parcel of 
        land in Riverside, California, consisting of approximately 9.5 
        acres, as more specifically described in section 2(a) (in this 
        section referred to as the ``property'').
            (2) The property is administered by the Department of 
        Agriculture and has been variously utilized for research and 
        plant materials purposes.
            (3) Since 1998, the property has been administered by the 
        Natural Resources Conservation Service.
            (4) Since 2002, the property has been co-managed under a 
        cooperative agreement between the Natural Resources 
        Conservation Service and the Riverside Corona Resource 
        Conservation District, which is a legal subdivision of the 
        State of California under section 9003 of the California Public 
        Resources Code.
            (5) Since 2002, the Conservation District has incurred 
        substantial costs in excess of $3.2 million in the operation 
        and maintenance of the property, and the Natural Resources 
        Conservation Service and the Conservation District recognize 
        that hundreds of thousands of dollars still need to be expended 
        to update utilities and other infrastructure on the property.
            (6) The Conservation District wishes to acquire the 
        property and use it for conservation, environmental, and 
        related educational purposes.
            (7) As provided in this Act, the conveyance of the property 
        to the Conservation District would promote the Conservation 
        District's conservation education and related purposes and 
        result in savings to the Federal Government.

SEC. 2. LAND CONVEYANCE, NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE 
              PROPERTY, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

    (a) Conveyance Authorized.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
convey and quitclaim to the Riverside Corona Resource Conservation 
District (in this section referred to as the ``Conservation District'') 
all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to a parcel 
of real property, including improvements thereon, that is located at 
4500 Glenwood Drive in Riverside, California, consists of approximately 
9.5 acres, and is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation 
Service of the Department of Agriculture. As necessary or desirable for 
the conveyance under this subsection, the Secretary or the Conservation 
District may survey all or portions of the property to be conveyed.
    (b) Consideration.--
            (1) Appraised market value.--As consideration for the 
        conveyance of the property under subsection (a), the 
        Conservation District shall pay to the Secretary an amount 
        equal to the appraised market value of the land under the 
        hypothetical condition as unimproved land, excluding all 
        improvements to the land other than normal utility connections 
        such as sewer and water taps.
            (2) Deposit and use of consideration.--The amounts received 
        as consideration under paragraph (1) shall be credited to the 
        applicable appropriation of the Natural Resources Conservation 
        Service for conservation operations in California and shall 
        remain available, without further appropriation, until expended 
        as the Secretary may direct.
    (c) Prohibition on Reservation of Interest.--The Secretary shall 
not reserve any future interest in the property to be conveyed under 
subsection (a), except that which may be acceptable to the Conservation 
District.
    (d) Hazardous Substances.--Notwithstanding section 120(h) of the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)) or the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 
6901 et seq.), in the conveyance of the property under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall be only required to meet the disclosure 
requirements for hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, but 
shall otherwise not be required to remediate or abate any such releases 
of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, including 
petroleum and petroleum derivatives.
    (e) Cooperative Authority.--
            (1) Leases, contracts, and cooperative agreements 
        authorized.--In conjunction with, or in addition to, the 
        conveyance under subsection (a), the Secretary may enter into 
        leases, contracts and cooperative agreements with the 
        Conservation District.
            (2) Sole source.--Notwithstanding title III of the Federal 
        Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251 
        et seq.) or any other provision of law, the Secretary may lease 
        real property from the Conservation District on a 
        noncompetitive basis.
            (3) Non-exclusive authority.--The authority provided by 
        this subsection is in addition to any other authority of the 
        Secretary.
    (f) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may require 
such reasonable terms and conditions in connection with the conveyance 
under subsection (a) as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect 
the interests of the United States, except that the conveyance does not 
require further administrative or environmental analyses or 
examination.
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