[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12310-S12311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

            By Mr. DOMENICI (for himself and Mr. Bingaman):

  S. 1510. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the 
Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands to the county of Rio 
Arriba, New Mexico; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


         the rio arriba, new mexico land conveyance act of 1997

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, today, I am introducing legislation that 
I believe will provide long-term benefits for the people of Rio Arriba 
County, New Mexico. This legislation will direct the Secretaries of the 
Interior and Agriculture to convey real property and improvements at an 
abandoned and surplus administrative site for the Carson National 
Forest to Rio Arriba County. The site is known as the old Coyote Ranger 
District Station, near the small town of Coyote, New Mexico.
  This legislation is patterned after a similar transfer that the 103rd 
Congress directed the Secretary of Agriculture to complete on the old 
Taos Ranger District Station in 1993. As with the Taos station, the 
Coyote Station will continue to be used for public purposes, including 
a community center, and a fire substation. Some of the buildings will 
also be available for the County to use for storage and repair of road 
maintenance equipment, and other County vehicles.
  Mr. President, the Forest Service has determined that this site is of 
no further use to them, since they have recently completed construction 
of a new administrative facility for the Coyote Ranger District. In an 
October 22 letter from the Regional Forester of the Southwest Region, I 
was informed that on August 7, the Forest Service reported to the 
General Services Administration that the improvements on the site were 
considered surplus, and would be available for disposal under their 
administrative procedures. At this particular site, however, the land 
on which the facilities have been built is withdrawn public domain 
land, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.
  Because of the complicating factor of the land and the facilities 
being under the jurisdiction of two separate Departments of the Federal 
government, I believe that this directed conveyance to Rio Arriba 
County will provide for a more efficient and expedited transfer. Under 
administrative processes, not only will the Departments of the Interior 
and Agriculture have to go through their respective procedures, but 
there will likely be some involvement of the General Services 
Administration. This legislation simply directs the Secretaries of the 
Interior and Agriculture to negotiate the terms and conditions of the 
conveyance directly with officials from Rio Arriba County.
  Mr. President, since neither the Bureau of Land Management nor the 
Forest Service have any interest in maintaining Federal ownership of 
this land and the surplus facilities, I believe that this should be a 
relatively straight-forward issue for Congress to address. I hope that 
we will be able to act on this legislation quickly next spring.
  In closing, Mr. President, I want to thank the Senate for its 
consideration, and ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1510

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

     SECTION 1. OLD COYOTE ADMINISTRATIVE SITE.

       (a) Conveyance of Property.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
     Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall convey by 
     quit-claim deed to the county of Rio Arriba, New Mexico, 
     subject to the terms and conditions stated in subsection (b), 
     all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to 
     the land (including all improvements on the land) known as 
     the ``Old Coyote Administrative Site'' located approximately 
     \1/2\ mile east

[[Page S12311]]

     of the Village of Coyote, New Mexico on State Road 96, 
     comprising 1 tract of 130.27 acres and 1 tract of 276.76 
     acres.
       (b) Terms and Conditions.--
       (1) Consideration.--The conveyance described in subsection 
     (a) shall be in consideration of an amount that is agreeable 
     to the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 
     Agriculture, and the county of Rio Arriba, New Mexico, 
     payable in full within the 6-month period referred to in 
     subsection (a), or, at the option of the county, in 20 annual 
     payments due on January 1 of the first year beginning after 
     the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter 
     until the total amount due has been paid. The county shall 
     not be charged interest on amounts owed the United States for 
     the conveyance.
       (2) Release.--On conveyance of the property under 
     subsection (a), the county shall release the United States 
     from any liability for claims relating to the property.
       (3) Reversion.--The conveyance under subsection (a) shall 
     be a conveyance fee simple title to the property, subject to 
     reversion to the United States if the property is used for 
     other than public purposes or if the consideration 
     requirements under paragraph (1) are not met.
                                 ______