Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB197 Compare Versions

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Old	New		Differences
1		-	I
2	1		119THCONGRESS
3	2		1
4	3		STSESSION H. R. 197
5		-	To provide for a land exchange in the Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota,
6		-	and for other purposes.
7		-	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8		-	JANUARY3, 2025
9		-	Mr. S
10		-	TAUBER(for himself and Mr. FINSTAD) introduced the following bill;
11		-	which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
12		-	A BILL
	4	+	AN ACT
13	5		To provide for a land exchange in the Chippewa National
14	6		Forest, Minnesota, and for other purposes.
15	7		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
16		-	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
17		-	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
18		-	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lake Winnibigoshish 4
19		-	Land Exchange Act of 2025’’. 5
20		-	SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6
21		-	In this Act: 7
22		-	(1) BWLT.—The term ‘‘BWLT’’ means Big 8
23		-	Winnie Land and Timber, LLC, a Minnesota Lim-9
24		-	ited Liability Corporation. 10
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27		-	•HR 197 IH
28		-	(2) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map en-1
29		-	titled ‘‘Heig Land Exchange’’ and dated December 2
30		-	14, 2023. 3
	8	+	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 2
	9	+	•HR 197 EH
	10	+	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1
	11	+	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lake Winnibigoshish 2
	12	+	Land Exchange Act of 2025’’. 3
	13	+	SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 4
	14	+	In this Act: 5
	15	+	(1) BWLT.—The term ‘‘BWLT’’ means Big 6
	16	+	Winnie Land and Timber, LLC, a Minnesota Lim-7
	17	+	ited Liability Corporation. 8
	18	+	(2) M
	19	+	AP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map en-9
	20	+	titled ‘‘Heig Land Exchange’’ and dated December 10
	21	+	14, 2023. 11
31	22		(3) F
32		-	EDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 4
33		-	means the approximately 17.5 acres of Federal land 5
34		-	in Itasca County, Minnesota, generally depicted as 6
35		-	the ‘‘Federal Parcel’’ on the Map. 7
	23	+	EDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 12
	24	+	means the approximately 17.5 acres of Federal land 13
	25	+	in Itasca County, Minnesota, generally depicted as 14
	26	+	the ‘‘Federal Parcel’’ on the Map. 15
36	27		(4) N
37		-	ON-FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘non-Fed-8
38		-	eral land’’ means the approximately 36.7 acres of 9
39		-	non-Federal land in Itasca County, Minnesota, gen-10
40		-	erally depicted as the ‘‘Non-Federal Parcel’’ on the 11
41		-	Map. 12
	28	+	ON-FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘non-Fed-16
	29	+	eral land’’ means the approximately 36.7 acres of 17
	30	+	non-Federal land in Itasca County, Minnesota, gen-18
	31	+	erally depicted as the ‘‘Non-Federal Parcel’’ on the 19
	32	+	Map. 20
42	33		(5) S
43		-	ECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 13
44		-	the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 14
45		-	Chief of the Forest Service. 15
46		-	SEC. 3. EXCHANGE OF LAND. 16
	34	+	ECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 21
	35	+	the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 22
	36	+	Chief of the Forest Service. 23
	37	+	SEC. 3. EXCHANGE OF LAND. 24
47	38		(a) E
48		-	XCHANGEAUTHORIZED.—Subject to the provi-17
49		-	sions of this Act, if BWLT offers to convey the non-Fed-18
50		-	eral land to the United States, the Secretary shall, not 19
51		-	later than 1 year after the date on which such offer is 20
52		-	made— 21
53		-	(1) accept the offer; 22
54		-	(2) convey to BWLT all right, title, and inter-23
55		-	est of the United States in and to the Federal land, 24
56		-	excepting and reserving an easement for road access 25
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59		-	•HR 197 IH
60		-	to National Forest System land west of the Federal 1
61		-	Parcel; and 2
62		-	(3) accept from BWLT all right, title, and in-3
63		-	terest of BWLT in and to the non-Federal land. 4
	39	+	XCHANGEAUTHORIZED.—Subject to the provi-25
	40	+	sions of this Act, if BWLT offers to convey the non-Fed-26 3
	41	+	•HR 197 EH
	42	+	eral land to the United States, the Secretary shall, not 1
	43	+	later than 1 year after the date on which such offer is 2
	44	+	made— 3
	45	+	(1) accept the offer; 4
	46	+	(2) convey to BWLT all right, title, and inter-5
	47	+	est of the United States in and to the Federal land, 6
	48	+	excepting and reserving an easement for road access 7
	49	+	to National Forest System land west of the Federal 8
	50	+	Parcel; and 9
	51	+	(3) accept from BWLT all right, title, and in-10
	52	+	terest of BWLT in and to the non-Federal land. 11
64	53		(b) R
65		-	EQUIREMENTS.—The exchange under sub-5
66		-	section (a) shall be— 6
67		-	(1) conditioned on title approval for the non- 7
68		-	Federal land by the Secretary in accordance with 8
69		-	subsection (e); 9
70		-	(2) conditioned on a cash equalization payment 10
71		-	made by BWLT to the United States in accordance 11
72		-	with subsection (c) if, under the appraisals con-12
73		-	ducted in accordance with this Act, it is determined 13
74		-	that the value of the Federal land exceeds the value 14
75		-	of the non-Federal land; 15
76		-	(3) conditioned on the satisfactory completion 16
77		-	of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment by 17
78		-	BWLT, provided to the Secretary, in advance of the 18
79		-	acceptance of the non-Federal parcel; 19
80		-	(4) subject to valid existing rights; and 20
81		-	(5) subject to any other terms and conditions 21
82		-	the Secretary determines appropriate. 22
	54	+	EQUIREMENTS.—The exchange under sub-12
	55	+	section (a) shall be— 13
	56	+	(1) conditioned on title approval for the non- 14
	57	+	Federal land by the Secretary in accordance with 15
	58	+	subsection (e); 16
	59	+	(2) conditioned on a cash equalization payment 17
	60	+	made by BWLT to the United States in accordance 18
	61	+	with subsection (c) if, under the appraisals con-19
	62	+	ducted in accordance with this Act, it is determined 20
	63	+	that the value of the Federal land exceeds the value 21
	64	+	of the non-Federal land; 22
	65	+	(3) conditioned on the satisfactory completion 23
	66	+	of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment by 24 4
	67	+	•HR 197 EH
	68	+	BWLT, provided to the Secretary, in advance of the 1
	69	+	acceptance of the non-Federal parcel; 2
	70	+	(4) subject to valid existing rights; and 3
	71	+	(5) subject to any other terms and conditions 4
	72	+	the Secretary determines appropriate. 5
83	73		(c) E
84		-	QUALVALUE ANDCASHEQUALIZATION.— 23
	74	+	QUALVALUE ANDCASHEQUALIZATION.— 6
85	75		(1) I
86		-	N GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-24
87		-	graph (2), the exchange under subsection (a) shall 25
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90		-	•HR 197 IH
91		-	be for equal value or the values shall be equalized 1
92		-	by a cash payment. 2
	76	+	N GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-7
	77	+	graph (2), the exchange under subsection (a) shall 8
	78	+	be for equal value or the values shall be equalized 9
	79	+	by a cash payment. 10
93	80		(2) E
94		-	XCEPTION.—Notwithstanding any other 3
95		-	provision of law, if the appraised value of the non- 4
96		-	Federal land to be conveyed to the United States ex-5
97		-	ceeds the appraised value of the Federal land, a cash 6
98		-	equalization payment by the United States to 7
99		-	BWLT is hereby waived and the amount of such 8
100		-	waived payment shall be considered a donation by 9
101		-	BWLT to the United States for all purposes of law. 10
	81	+	XCEPTION.—Notwithstanding any other 11
	82	+	provision of law, if the appraised value of the non- 12
	83	+	Federal land to be conveyed to the United States ex-13
	84	+	ceeds the appraised value of the Federal land, a cash 14
	85	+	equalization payment by the United States to 15
	86	+	BWLT is hereby waived and the amount of such 16
	87	+	waived payment shall be considered a donation by 17
	88	+	BWLT to the United States for all purposes of law. 18
102	89		(d) A
103		-	PPRAISALS.— 11
	90	+	PPRAISALS.— 19
104	91		(1) I
105		-	N GENERAL.—The value of the land to be 12
106		-	exchanged under this Act shall be determined by ap-13
107		-	praisals conducted by an independent and qualified 14
108		-	appraiser mutually agreed to by the Secretary and 15
109		-	BWLT. 16
110		-	~~(2) A~~
111		-	~~PPRAISAL~~ STANDARDS .—The Secretary 17
112		-	shall complete appraisals of the land to be ex-18
113		-	changed under this Act in accordance with— 19
114		-	(A) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for 20
115		-	Federal Land Acquisitions; and 21
116		-	(B) the Uniform Standards of Professional 22
117		-	Appraisal Practice. 23
	92	+	N GENERAL.—The value of the land to be 20
	93	+	exchanged under this Act shall be determined by ap-21
	94	+	praisals conducted by an independent and qualified 22
	95	+	appraiser mutually agreed to by the Secretary and 23
	96	+	BWLT. 24 5
	97	+	•HR 197 EH
	98	+	(2) APPRAISAL STANDARDS .—The Secretary 1
	99	+	shall complete appraisals of the land to be ex-2
	100	+	changed under this Act in accordance with— 3
	101	+	(A) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for 4
	102	+	Federal Land Acquisitions; and 5
	103	+	(B) the Uniform Standards of Professional 6
	104	+	Appraisal Practice. 7
118	105		(e) F
119		-	ORMAT.—Title to the non-Federal land to be 24
120		-	conveyed to the United States under this Act shall be 25
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123		-	•HR 197 IH
124		-	found sufficient by the Secretary pursuant to section 3111 1
125		-	of title 40, United States Code. 2
	106	+	ORMAT.—Title to the non-Federal land to be 8
	107	+	conveyed to the United States under this Act shall be 9
	108	+	found sufficient by the Secretary pursuant to section 3111 10
	109	+	of title 40, United States Code. 11
126	110		(f) M
127		-	ANAGEMENT OF ACQUIREDLAND.—The non- 3
128		-	Federal land acquired by the United States under sub-4
129		-	section (a) shall be— 5
130		-	(1) added to, and managed as part of, the 6
131		-	Chippewa National Forest; and 7
132		-	(2) managed in accordance with the laws, rules, 8
133		-	and regulations pertaining to National Forest Sys-9
134		-	tem lands. 10
	111	+	ANAGEMENT OF ACQUIREDLAND.—The non- 12
	112	+	Federal land acquired by the United States under sub-13
	113	+	section (a) shall be— 14
	114	+	(1) added to, and managed as part of, the 15
	115	+	Chippewa National Forest; and 16
	116	+	(2) managed in accordance with the laws, rules, 17
	117	+	and regulations pertaining to National Forest Sys-18
	118	+	tem lands. 19
135	119		(g) M
136		-	AP ANDLEGALDESCRIPTIONS.— 11
	120	+	AP ANDLEGALDESCRIPTIONS.— 20
137	121		(1) I
138		-	N GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 12
139		-	the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 13
140		-	shall finalize the Map and legal descriptions of all 14
141		-	land to be conveyed under this Act. 15
	122	+	N GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 21
	123	+	the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 22
	124	+	shall finalize the Map and legal descriptions of all 23
	125	+	land to be conveyed under this Act. 24 6
	126	+	•HR 197 EH
	127	+	(2) CONTROLLING DOCUMENT .—In the case of 1
	128	+	a discrepancy between the Map and a legal descrip-2
	129	+	tion, the Map shall control. 3
	130	+	(3) C
	131	+	ORRECTIONS.—The Secretary and BWLT, 4
	132	+	by mutual agreement, may correct any minor errors 5
	133	+	in the Map or in the legal descriptions, including 6
	134	+	with respect to the boundaries of the Federal land 7
	135	+	and the non-Federal land. 8
	136	+	(4) M
	137	+	AP ON FILE.—The Map and legal descrip-9
	138	+	tions shall be on file and available for public inspec-10
	139	+	tion in appropriate offices of the Forest Service. 11
	140	+	(h) C
	141	+	LOSINGCOSTS.—As a condition for the ex-12
	142	+	change under subsection (a), BWLT shall pay all closing 13
	143	+	costs associated with the exchange, including for— 14
	144	+	(1) title insurance and title search; 15
	145	+	(2) any applicable inspection fees, escrow fees, 16
	146	+	attorneys fees, and recording fees; and 17
	147	+	(3) any environmental analysis or resource sur-18
	148	+	vey required under Federal law, regulation, or pol-19
	149	+	icy, including a Phase I Environmental Site Assess-20
	150	+	ment of the non-Federal land. 21
	151	+	(i) S
	152	+	URVEY.— 22
	153	+	(1) I
	154	+	N GENERAL.—The exact acreages and legal 23
	155	+	descriptions of the Federal and non-Federal land to 24 7
	156	+	•HR 197 EH
	157	+	be exchanged under subsection (a) shall be deter-1
	158	+	mined by surveys satisfactory to the Secretary. 2
142	159		(2) C
143		-	ONTROLLING DOCUMENT .—In the case of 16
144		-	a discrepancy between the Map and a legal descrip-17
145		-	tion, the Map shall control. 18
146		-	(3) C
147		-	ORRECTIONS.—The Secretary and BWLT, 19
148		-	by mutual agreement, may correct any minor errors 20
149		-	in the Map or in the legal descriptions, including 21
150		-	with respect to the boundaries of the Federal land 22
151		-	and the non-Federal land. 23
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154		-	•HR 197 IH
155		-	(4) MAP ON FILE.—The Map and legal descrip-1
156		-	tions shall be on file and available for public inspec-2
157		-	tion in appropriate offices of the Forest Service. 3
158		-	(h) C
159		-	LOSINGCOSTS.—As a condition for the ex-4
160		-	change under subsection (a), BWLT shall pay all closing 5
161		-	costs associated with the exchange, including for— 6
162		-	(1) title insurance and title search; 7
163		-	(2) any applicable inspection fees, escrow fees, 8
164		-	attorneys fees, and recording fees; and 9
165		-	(3) any environmental analysis or resource sur-10
166		-	vey required under Federal law, regulation, or pol-11
167		-	icy, including a Phase I Environmental Site Assess-12
168		-	ment of the non-Federal land. 13
169		-	(i) S
170		-	URVEY.— 14
171		-	(1) I
172		-	N GENERAL.—The exact acreages and legal 15
173		-	descriptions of the Federal and non-Federal land to 16
174		-	be exchanged under subsection (a) shall be deter-17
175		-	mined by surveys satisfactory to the Secretary. 18
176		-	(2) C
177		-	OSTS OF SURVEY.—BWLT shall bear all 19
178		-	costs associated with the surveys under paragraph 20
179		-	(1). 21
180		-	Æ
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	160	+	OSTS OF SURVEY.—BWLT shall bear all 3
	161	+	costs associated with the surveys under paragraph 4
	162	+	(1). 5
	163	+	Passed the House of Representatives January 21,
	164	+	2025.
	165	+	Attest:
	166	+	Clerk. 119
	167	+	TH
	168	+	CONGRESS
	169	+	1
	170	+	ST
	171	+	S
	172	+	ESSION
	173	+
	174	+	H. R. 197
	175	+	AN ACT
	176	+	To provide for a land exchange in the Chippewa
	177	+	National Forest, Minnesota, and for other pur-
	178	+	poses.