[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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