[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6339-H6340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JUAB COUNTY CONVEYANCE ACT OF 2018
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3777) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey
certain National Forest System land containing the Nephi Work Center in
Juab County, Utah, to Juab County, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3777
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 ``Juab County Conveyance Act
of 2018''.
SEC. 2. LAND CONVEYANCE, NEPHI WORK CENTER, JUAB COUNTY,
UTAH.
(a) Conveyance Required.--Subject to valid existing rights,
if the County submits a written request to the Secretary not
later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary shall convey, without consideration and by
quitclaim deed, to the County all right, title, and interest
of the United States in and to the parcel of National Forest
System land, including improvements thereon, described in
subsection (b).
(b) Description of Land.--
(1) In general.--The parcel of National Forest System land
and improvements to be conveyed under subsection (a) is the
Nephi Work Center at 740 South Main Street, Nephi, Utah,
which consists of approximately 2.17 acres within Nephi Plat
B Block of the Nephi Townsite Survey as Parcels #XA00-0545-
1111 and #XA00-0545-2, and is identified on the map entitled
``Nephi Plat B'' and dated May 6, 1981.
(2) Map and legal description.--
(A) In general.--As soon as practical after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry of the Senate a map and legal description of the
parcel described in paragraph (1).
(B) Minor modifications.--The map and legal description
submitted under this paragraph shall have the same force and
effect as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary
may make minor modifications of any clerical or typographical
errors in the map or the legal description.
(C) Copy on file.--A copy of the map and the legal
description shall be on file and available for public
inspection in the appropriate field offices of the U.S.
Forest Service.
(c) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of the
National Forest System land to be conveyed under subsection
(a) shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the
Secretary.
(d) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition for the conveyance
under subsection (a), the County shall pay the reasonable
costs incurred by the Secretary for--
(1) the survey required by subsection (c); and
(2) any environmental or administrative analysis required
by law related to the conveyance.
(e) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The conveyance under
subsection (a) is subject to any other terms and conditions
as the Secretary considers appropriate to protect the
interests of the United States.
(f) Time for Completion of Conveyance.--The Secretary shall
complete the conveyance under subsection (a) not later than
one year after the date on which the County submits the
written request described in subsection (a).
(g) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) County.--The term ``County'' means Juab County, Utah.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the U.S. Forest
Service.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Grijalva) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend 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 California?
There was no objection.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3777, introduced by Congresswoman Mia Love, would
authorize the transfer of approximately 2.6 acres of U.S. Forest
Service land and improvements in the city of Nephi to Juab County,
Utah. The bill would require the county to pay all conveyance costs,
including the cost of environmental analysis and surveying.
This land has been designated by the U.S. Forest Service for
administrative disposal since 2013. Under an agreement with the Forest
Service, the county fire department houses its mitigation program on
this site.
On August 15, 2017, the county requested the Secretary of Agriculture
to transfer this property to the county, which intends to use the land
to house its wildlands fire team and equipment, with plans to construct
a new fire station on the property.
As fires continue to rage across the West, Congress should take every
opportunity to give local communities the resources and support they
need to combat these catastrophic events.
While this transfer represents just two ten-thousandths of 1 percent
of the 1.5 million acres of Federal land in Juab County, the new fire
station it will facilitate could mean the difference between
suppression and conflagration when wildfire threatens Juab County.
The legislation would also improve fire response services to
surrounding communities and the Federal lands, since Juab County plans
to use this land to house its wildlands fire team equipment.
There is strong local support from the county and its elected
officials for this conveyance. By ensuring that the surrounding
communities and public lands have the emergency response resources they
need to respond to catastrophic wildfire, H.R. 3777 furthers the
important local-Federal partnership
[[Page H6340]]
that is critical to restoring the Federal Government as a good neighbor
to the communities it impacts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
At the markup of H.R. 3777, we voiced our concerns that the
conveyance authorized by this bill does not include any standard
requirements such as, if it is sold, fair market value; if it is
conveyed, a reversionary clause. Unfortunately, the majority rejected
our amendment to include a reversionary clause.
We recognize that this property was identified as suitable for
administrative disposal, but that designation doesn't mean that it is
worthless. We are not being greedy or unreasonable, just mindful of
history and precedent.
With that said, we recognize how important this conveyance is to the
county, and we will save this particular fight for another day.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from Utah (Mrs. Love).
Mrs. LOVE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this bill is being
considered today. This bill is both timely and extremely important to
my constituents.
This summer, tens of thousands of acres have burned throughout Utah.
Unfortunately, many regions in the State remain at high risk due to
prolonged drought. One of these regions is Juab County, which sits
within my district.
Juab County consists of more than 2 million acres of land, much of
which is covered with dry, flammable vegetation. The county is also
experiencing a years-long drought. In fact, last year, the USDA
designated the county as a disaster area due to the damages caused by
the drought.
More than 70 percent of Juab is controlled by the Federal Government.
While significant Federal ownership and control of land in Utah is
often a source of contention, Juab County has developed a cooperative
and constructive relationship with their local Federal partners.
The Forest Service currently owns a small property, just over 2
acres, within the town of Nephi, the county seat of Juab County. It has
been vacant and unused for years and was identified as available for
disposal several years ago. This property is known as the Nephi Work
Center.
My bill, the Juab County Conveyance Act, would simply convey this
property to the county. Juab intends to use this property to house
their wildlands fire team, which is part of their special service fire
district. This would enable the county to more effectively mitigate
fire risks and protect Juab County residents and both Forest Service
and BLM land within the county.
As a former mayor who has dealt with fires in and around my
community, including on public lands, I want to do all I can to help my
constituents. This bill will benefit both the county and Federal
agencies that own and manage lands within the county.
We are talking about a city of about 1,000 people fighting fires on
millions of acres. We just want to do everything we can to make sure we
get to the fires as soon as possible and help not just protect costs,
but the homes and the livelihoods of the families that live there.
I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3777, 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.
____________________