[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 4, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1199-H1200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BOUNTIFUL CITY LAND CONSOLIDATION ACT
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3473) to provide for a land exchange with the City of
Bountiful, Utah, involving National Forest System land in the Wasatch-
Cache National Forest and to further land ownership consolidation in
that national forest, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3473
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Bountiful City Land
Consolidation Act''.
SEC. 2. LAND EXCHANGE, WASATCH-CACHE NATIONAL FOREST, UTAH.
(a) Land Exchange Authorized.--If the City of Bountiful,
Utah (in this section referred to as the ``City''), conveys
to the Secretary of Agriculture all right, title, and
interest of the City in and to three parcels of land
consisting of a total of approximately 1,680 acres identified
on the map entitled ``Bountiful City Land Consolidation
Act'', the Secretary may convey to the City in exchange all
right, title, and interest of the United States in and to
such quantity of National Forest System land located in the
Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Township 2, North, Range 1
East, Salt Lake Meridian, and identified for possible
conveyance on the map such that the value of the land
acquired by the Secretary is equal to the value of the
Federal land conveyed. The value of the Federal and City
lands to be exchanged shall be determined by an appraisal
carried out in accordance with section 206 of the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716).
(b) Availability of Map.--The map referred to in subsection
(a) shall be on file and available for public inspection in
the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service.
(c) Land Exchange Process.--Section 206 of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716) shall
apply to the land exchange authorized by subsection (a).
(d) Management of Acquired Land.--The lands acquired by the
Secretary under subsection (a) shall be added to and
administered as part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and
managed in accordance with the Act of March 1, 1911 (commonly
known as the Weeks Act; 16 U.S.C. 480 et seq.) and the laws
and regulations applicable to the National Forest System.
(e) Bonneville Shoreline Trail and Other Rights-of-Way.--In
making the land exchange authorized by subsection (a), the
Secretary shall ensure that an easement not less than 60 feet
in width is reserved for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The
Secretary and the City may reserve such other rights-of-way
for utilities, roads, and trails as they may agree upon and
which they consider to be in the public interest.
(f) Treatment of Remaining Federal Land.--
(1) Disposal authority.--In the case of any National Forest
System land identified for possible conveyance on the map
referred to in subsection (a) and not exchanged under such
subsection, the Secretary may dispose of all or a portion of
the remaining land upon a determination by the Secretary,
pursuant to an amendment of the land and resource management
plan for Wasatch-Cache National Forest and a public process
consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), that the land or portion thereof is
in excess to the needs of the National Forest System.
(2) Consideration.--As consideration for any conveyance of
land under this subsection, the Secretary shall require an
amount equal to not less than the fair market value of the
conveyed land.
(3) Relation to other laws.--Any conveyance of land under
this subsection by exchange shall be subject to section 206
of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1716).
(4) Disposition of proceeds.--Funds received by the
Secretary as consideration under paragraph (2) shall be
deposited into the fund established by Public Law 90-171
(commonly known as the Sisk Act; 16 U.S.C. 484a). Funds so
deposited shall remain under the control of the Secretary and
be available to the Secretary, without further appropriation
and until expended, for the acquisition of land or interests
in land to be included in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
(g) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The land exchange
under subsection (a) shall be subject to such additional
terms and conditions as the Secretary and the City may agree
upon, and any conveyance under subsection (f) shall be
subject to such additional terms and conditions as the
Secretary may require.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the gentleman from
West Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. RAHALL. The pending legislation is sponsored by a valuable member
of the Natural Resources Committee, who is the ranking member on the
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, and who was
instrumental in teaching me how to pronounce the State of Nevada's
name, the gentleman from Utah, Mr. Rob Bishop.
It is my privilege to call this bill up for consideration by the
House today. The measure would facilitate a land exchange between the
Secretary of Agriculture and the City of Bountiful, Utah. I will leave
it to the gentleman from Utah to further explain his bill. Suffice it
to say that I do urge its adoption by the House.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3473 and
again yield myself such time as I may consume.
This, along with Chairman Rahall's bill, are the two brilliant bills
of this particular package. I can't say more. On behalf of my
constituents who reside in Bountiful, Utah, I express my appreciation
for the consideration of this bill today. It has been a long time in
coming. My office has been involved in negotiations with the city, as
well as the United States Forest Service, for the last 3 years.
For nearly 20 years, the City has commenced and called off multiple
attempts to exchange this land administratively, primarily due to
change in personnel within the local office in Utah. That is why we are
doing this legislatively now.
We finally have before us, I think, a direct land exchange which does
several things. It increases the equal value exchange between Bountiful
and the United States Forest Service. Bountiful City will give 1,600-
plus acres to the Forest Service. The Forest Service will exchange part
of a 220-acre parcel that is in the city limits, balance their
contiguous area, and also has the ability of protecting a gun range,
which is extremely important in that particular area, a shoreline
trail, and the Davis Aqueduct within Davis County.
[[Page H1200]]
This bill allows for a process to move forward to allow the Forest
Service to deal with any lands not consumed by this exchange. My goal
in drafting this bill is not to create a long-term management issue,
either for Bountiful or the Forest Service. I believe this bill
accomplishes both the letter and the spirit of that particular goal.
I also wish to express my appreciation for the many staff hours which
have gone into this particular bill. I also express appreciation to
city officials in Bountiful for their patience, their willingness to
work in good faith with our office, as well as the United States Forest
Service, and especially the majority staff on our committee.
It is a good bill, and it does move the process of dealing with these
particular land exchanges forward. It makes it easier to manage for
both the Forest Service as well as the City of Bountiful. I urge
passage of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RAHALL. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3473, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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