[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 138 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7949-H7950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRINITY COUNTY LAND EXCHANGE ACT OF 2014

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3326) to provide for an exchange of land between 
the United States and the Trinity Public Utilities District of Trinity 
County, California, involving a parcel of National Forest System land 
in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3326

       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 ``Trinity County Land Exchange 
     Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. LAND EXCHANGE, TRINITY PUBLIC UTILITIES DISTRICT, 
                   TRINITY COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, THE BUREAU OF LAND 
                   MANAGEMENT, AND THE FOREST SERVICE.

       (a) Land Exchange Required.--If not later than three years 
     after enactment of this Act, the Utilities District conveys 
     to the Secretary of the Interior all right, title, and 
     interest of the Utilities District in and to Parcel A, 
     subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary of the 
     Interior may require, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
     convey Parcel B to the Utilities District, subject to such 
     terms and conditions as the Secretary of Agriculture may 
     require, including the reservation of easements for all roads 
     and trails considered to be necessary for administrative 
     purposes and to ensure public access to National Forest 
     System lands.
       (b) Availability of Maps and Legal Descriptions.--Maps are 
     entitled ``Trinity County Land Exchange Act of 2014 - Parcel 
     A'' and ``Trinity County Land Exchange Act of 2014 - Parcel 
     B'', both dated March 24, 2014. The maps shall be on file and 
     available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of 
     the Forest Service and the appropriate office of the Bureau 
     of Land Management. With the agreement of the parties to the 
     conveyances under subsection (a), the Secretary of the 
     Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may make technical 
     corrections to the maps and legal descriptions.
       (c) Equal Value Exchange.--
       (1) Land exchange process.--The land exchange under this 
     section shall be an equal value exchange. Except as provided 
     in paragraph (3), the Secretary of the Interior and the 
     Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out the land exchange in 
     accordance with section 206 of the Federal Land Policy and 
     Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716).
       (2) Appraisal of parcels.--The values of Parcel A and 
     Parcel B shall by determined by appraisals performed by a 
     qualified appraiser mutually agreed to by the parties to the 
     conveyances under subsection (a). The appraisals shall be 
     approved by the Secretary of Interior and the Secretary of 
     Agriculture and conducted in conformity with the Uniform 
     Appraisal Standards for Federal Land.
       (3) Cash equalization.--If the values of Parcel A and 
     Parcel B are not equal, the values may be equalized through 
     the use of a cash equalization payment, however, if the final 
     appraised value of Parcel A exceeds the value of Parcel B, 
     the surplus value of Parcel A shall be considered to be a 
     donation by the Utilities District. Notwithstanding section 
     206(b) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 
     (43 U.S.C. 1716(b)), a cash equalization payment may be made 
     in excess of 25 percent of the appraised value of the Parcel 
     B.
       (d) Disposition of Proceeds.--
       (1) In general.--Any cash equalization payment received by 
     the United States under subsection (c) shall be deposited in 
     the fund established under Public Law 90-171 (16 U.S.C. 484a; 
     commonly known as the Sisk Act).
       (2) Use of proceeds.--Amounts deposited under paragraph (1) 
     shall be available to the Secretary of Agriculture, without 
     further appropriation and until expended, for the 
     improvement, maintenance, reconstruction, or construction of 
     a facility or improvement for the National Forest System.
       (e) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of 
     Parcel A and Parcel B shall be determined by a survey 
     satisfactory to the Secretary of the Interior and the 
     Secretary of Agriculture.
       (f) Costs.--As a condition of the land exchange under 
     subsection (a), the Utilities District shall pay the costs 
     associated with--
       (1) the surveys described in subsection (e);
       (2) the appraisals described in subsection (c)(2); and
       (3) any other reasonable administrative or remediation cost 
     determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.
       (g) Management of Acquired Land.--Upon the acquisition of 
     Parcel A, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
     Redding Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, shall 
     administer Parcel A as public land in accordance with the 
     Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
     1701 et seq.) and the laws and regulations applicable to 
     public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, 
     except that public recreation and public access to and for 
     recreation shall be the highest and best use of Parcel A.
       (h) Completion of Land Exchange.--Once the Utilities 
     District offers to convey Parcel A to the Secretary of the 
     Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture shall complete the 
     conveyance of Parcel B not later than one year after the date 
     of enactment of this Act.
       (i) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
       (1) Parcel A.--The term ``Parcel A'' means the 
     approximately 47 acres of land, known as the ``Sky Ranch 
     parcel'', adjacent to public land administered by the Redding 
     Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management as depicted on 
     the map entitled ``Trinity County Land Exchange Act of 2014 - 
     Parcel A'', dated March 24, 2014, more particularly described 
     as a portion of Mineral Survey 178, south Highway 299, 
     generally located in the S1/2 of the S1/2 of Section 7 and 
     the N1/2 of the N1/2 of Section 8, Township 33 North, Range 
     10 West, Mount Diablo Meridian.
       (2) Parcel B.--The term ``Parcel B'' means the 
     approximately 100 acres land in the Shasta-Trinity National 
     Forest in the State of California near the Weaverville 
     Airport in Trinity County as depicted on the map entitled 
     ``Trinity County Land Exchange Act of 2014 - Parcel B'' dated 
     March 24, 2014, more particularly described as Lot 8, SW1/4 
     SE1/4, and S1/2 N1/2 SE, Section 31, Township 34 North, Range 
     9 West, Mount Diablo Meridian.
       (3) Utilities district.--The term ``Utilities District'' 
     means the Trinity Public Utilities District of Trinity 
     County, California.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise their remarks and include 
extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1230

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time so 
the sponsor, the gentleman from California, Congressman Jared Huffman, 
may explain the bill.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), the sponsor of the 
legislation.

[[Page H7950]]

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Thank you, Mr. Grijalva and Mr. Young.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, the Trinity County Land 
Exchange Act of 2014.
  This bill is a very straightforward, bipartisan bill. It simply 
facilitates a land exchange between the Trinity Public Utility 
District, the United States Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land 
Management. I am grateful that my bill is cosponsored by my friend and 
district neighbor, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who represented Trinity 
County when he was in the State legislature.
  Trinity County, located in northern California, is one of the poorest 
counties in the entire State; and although it is very large, much of it 
is rugged and remote, and more than 75 percent of the total land base 
is held by the Federal Government, which leaves very little land 
suitable for economic development.
  This legislation before us today will help stimulate Trinity County's 
economy. The bill grants Trinity County a much-needed 100-acre parcel 
from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. It is accessible by the 
highway, uniquely suited for economic development; and in exchange, the 
county's public utility district will convey a 47-acre parcel west of 
Weaverville that will improve public access to the Trinity River, which 
is a Wild and Scenic River.
  The bill guarantees a fair return for Federal taxpayers as the United 
States Forest Service will receive a cash equalization payment for the 
improvement, maintenance, reconstruction, or construction of a facility 
or an improvement for the National Forest System.
  This is a win-win bill all the way around. Partnerships with land 
management agencies are really critical to Trinity County's economic 
development, and I am so glad that the county has been able to develop 
this win-win partnership with the Federal agencies that meets 
everybody's needs. This land swap is a great example of bipartisan 
legislation that furthers our shared priorities of economic development 
and environmental protection in our Nation's rural communities.
  Again, I especially want to thank Chairman Hastings, Ranking Member 
DeFazio, Chairman Bishop, Ranking Member Grijalva, and my neighbor, 
Doug LaMalfa, for all of their assistance and collaboration and the 
many staff who have worked hard on this bill, especially my Sea Grant 
fellow, Zach Penney.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Jared 
Huffman of California, the sponsor of the bill, for the legislation and 
the hard work.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in strong support and congratulate Congressmen Jared Huffman 
and Doug LaMalfa. This is a good piece of legislation, and I have to go 
back through history a little bit.
  Being originally from California 63 years ago, I remember Trinity 
County as one of the richer counties when we had a timber industry, and 
Weaverville was one of the largest timber cities in the country, but it 
is no longer. It is really a very poor county because of the management 
of Federal lands and how they do not manage them.
  Again, I compliment the two Congressmen for working on this 
legislation, and I urge the passage of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3326, 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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