[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H9969-H9970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT TRANSFER

  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3147) to provide for the exchange of certain Federal lands 
in the State of California managed by the Bureau of Land Management for 
certain non-Federal lands, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3147

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that the exchange of 
     lands authorized by this Act will benefit both the private 
     landowners and the United States by consolidating their 
     respective land ownership patterns.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to authorize, 
     facilitate, and expedite the land exchange set forth herein.

     SEC. 2. MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT LAND EXCHANGE.

       (a) Conveyance.--The Secretary of the Interior may convey 
     the Federal lands described in subsection (d)(1) in exchange 
     for the non-Federal lands described in subsection (d)(2), in 
     accordance with the provisions of this Act.
       (b) Applicability of Other Provisions of Law.--The land 
     exchange required in this Act shall be carried out in 
     accordance with section 206 of the Federal Land Policy and 
     Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716) and in accordance 
     with other applicable laws.
       (c) Acceptability of Title and Manner of Conveyance.--The 
     Secretary of the Interior shall not carry out an exchange 
     described in subsection (a) unless the title to the non-
     Federal lands to be conveyed to the United States, and the 
     form and procedures of conveyance, are acceptable to the 
     Secretary.
       (d) Lands To Be Exchanged.--
       (1) Federal lands to be exchanged.--The Federal lands 
     referred to in this Act to be exchanged consist of 
     approximately 179.4 acres in Mariposa County, California, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Merced Irrigation 
     District Exchange--Proposed, Federal Land''; dated ----------
     ---- 1995, more particularly described as follows:
       T. 3 S., R. 15 E., MDM (Mount Diablo Meridian): sec. 35, 
     SW\1/4\SE\1/4\, containing approximately 40 acres.
       T. 4 S., R. 15 E., MDM (Mount Diablo Meridian):
       Sec. 14: E\1/2\SE\1/4\SE\1/4\, containing approximately 20 
     acres.
       Sec. 23: NE\1/4\SE\1/4\, containing approximately 40 acres.
       T. 5 S., R. 15 E., MDM (Mount Diablo Meridian):
       Sec. 2: Lot 1, containing approximately 57.9 acres.
       Sec. 3: Lots 7 through 15, containing approximately 21.5 
     acres.
       (2) Non-federal lands to be exchanged.--The non-Federal 
     lands referred to in this Act to be exchanged consist of 
     approximately 160 acres in Mariposa County, California, as 
     generally depicted on the map entitled ``Merced

[[Page H9970]]

     Irrigation District Exchange--Proposed, Non-Federal Land'', 
     dated ---------------- 1995, more particularly described as 
     T. 4 S., R17E MDM (Mount Diablo Meridian): sec. 2, SE\1/4\.
       (3) Maps.--The maps referred to in this subsection shall be 
     on file and available for inspection in the office of the 
     Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
       (4) Partial revocation of withdrawals.--The Executive order 
     of December 31, 1912, creating Powersite Reserve No. 328, and 
     the withdrawal of Federal lands for Power Project No. 2179, 
     filed February 21, 1963, in accordance with section 24 of the 
     Federal Power Act are hereby revoked insofar as they affect 
     the Federal lands described in paragraph (1). Any patent 
     issued on such Federal lands shall not be subject to section 
     24 of said Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Doolittle] and the gentleman from California [Mr. 
Miller] each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle].
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. DOOLITTLE asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Radanovich for 
his diligent work on H.R. 3147. H.R. 3147 will result in an equal value 
exchange of lands between the Bureau of Land Management [BLM] and the 
Merced Irrigation District [MID] supported by all interested parties.
  In 1991, Congress added 8 miles of the Merced River upstream from 
Lake McClure in Mariposa County, CA, to the National Wild and Scenic 
River System. Lake McClure is the main reservoir of the Merced 
Irrigation District. The Bureau of Land Management manages a 
significant amount of land in the Lake McClure area.
  Soon after the wild and scenic river designation, MID and the BLM 
began to discuss a possible land transfer to enhance their land 
management objectives. As a result of the discussions, MID and BLM 
worked out a land exchange in which BLM would convey several scattered 
parcels of land below Lake McClure in exchange for approximately 160 
acres of land owned by MID along the national wild and scenic corridor. 
The land exchange proposal is contained in H.R. 3147.
  H.R. 3147 will enable the BLM to consolidate its land ownership in 
the Merced River region and enhance one of their most important 
recreational areas in California. At the same time, H.R. 3147 will 
benefit MID by allowing them to consolidate their ownership of lands in 
the Lake McClure area.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Continuing this unprecedented bipartisan harmony, we have no 
objection to this measure and the administration supports this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3147 provides for the exchange of lands between the 
Bureau of Land Management and the Merced Irrigation District. Under the 
legislation, 179 acres of scattered BLM lands within the irrigation 
district's water project area would be exchanged for 160 acres of land 
the irrigation district owns within the boundaries of the Merced Wild 
and Scenic River.
  We have no objection to the measure. The administration supports the 
bill. It is an even value exchange that will benefit both the 
irrigation district and the Federal Government.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Wicker). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill H.R. 3147, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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