[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6718 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6718
To authorize, direct, expedite, and facilitate a land exchange in
California, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 12, 2023
Mr. McCarthy (for himself, Mr. Kiley, and Mr. Obernolte) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize, direct, expedite, and facilitate a land exchange in
California, and for other purposes.
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 ``City of Ridgecrest Land Exchange
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) City.--The term ``City'' means the City of Ridgecrest,
California.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the
approximately 500 acres of Federal land generally depicted as
``Proposed BLM to City of Ridgecrest Land Transfer'' on the
Federal land map.
(3) Federal land map.--The term ``Federal land map'' means
the map titled ``Proposed Bureau of Land Management to City of
Ridgecrest Land Exchange'' and dated October 5, 2023.
(4) Non-federal land.--The term ``non-Federal land'' means
the approximately 640 acres of land in California, generally
depicted as ``Proposed City of Ridgecrest to BLM Land
Transfer'' on the non-Federal land map.
(5) Non-federal land map.--The term ``non-Federal land
map'' means the map titled ``Proposed City of Ridgecrest to
Bureau of Land Management Land Exchange'' and dated August 31,
2023.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 3. LAND EXCHANGE.
(a) In General.--If the City offers to convey to the Secretary all
right, title, and interest of the City in and to the non-Federal land,
the Secretary shall accept the offer and, as soon as practicable, but
not later than 1 year after receiving the offer from the City, convey
to the City all right, title, and interest of the United States to the
Federal land.
(b) Title Approval.--
(1) In general.--Title to the land to be exchanged under
this section shall be in a format acceptable to the Secretary
and the City.
(2) Non-federal land.--Title to the non-Federal land
conveyed to the Secretary under this section shall conform to
the title approval standards of the Attorney General of the
United States applicable to land acquisitions by the Federal
Government.
(c) Maps, Estimates, and Descriptions.--
(1) Minor errors.--The Secretary and the City may, by
mutual agreement--
(A) make minor boundary adjustments to the Federal
land and non-Federal land involved in the exchange; and
(B) correct any minor errors in any map, acreage
estimate, or description of the land to be exchanged.
(2) Conflict.--If there is a conflict between a map, an
acreage estimate, or a description of land under this section,
the map shall control unless the Secretary and City mutually
agree otherwise.
(3) Availability of maps.--The Federal land map and non-
Federal land map shall be kept on file and available for public
inspection in the appropriate office of the Bureau of Land
Management.
(d) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of the land
exchanged under this section shall be determined by a survey
satisfactory to the Secretary.
(e) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition for the land exchange
under this section, the City shall pay the reasonable costs incurred by
the Secretary for--
(1) the survey required by subsection (d); and
(2) any environmental analysis or administrative expenses
related to the exchange.
(f) Effect; Terms and Conditions.--The land exchange under this
section--
(1) is not subject to section 206 of the Federal Land
Policy Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716);
(2) shall not affect the administration or ownership of any
highways;
(3) shall not affect and shall further reserve for the
continued and perpetual benefit of utilities all those existing
rights on or to the land exchanged under this section,
including any easements, and rights-of-way for electrical
transmission and distribution poles, lines, and other
appurtenances, regardless of whether such rights were created
by patent, prescription, contract, or applicable law; and
(4) is subject to the condition that, with respect to
Federal land conveyed to the City, the City shall, to the
extent practicable, maintain access--
(A) to all officially designated motorized routes
depicted on the Federal land map; and
(B) for non-motorized recreation activities.
(g) Restriction on Gaming.--The Federal land conveyed to the City
under this section shall not be eligible, or used, for any class II or
class III gaming (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2703)).
(h) Management of Land.--Land acquired by the Secretary under this
section shall become part of the Owens Peak Wilderness Area and be
managed in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations applicable
to that wilderness area.
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