TheWeekInCongress.com (TM)

Week Ending November 17, 2006

 

H.R.409 To provide for the exchange of land within the Sierra National Forest, California, and for other purposes.

 

This bill authorizes a land exchange, providing the owner of private land in the deal agrees to participate within one year of enactment of the bill. The land at issue is available for the Sequoia Council Boy Scouts that has a special use permit to operate a summer camp on about three acres in the Sierra National Forest in California. According to the committee report the Scouts wish to acquire 160 acres of National Forest land that is surrounded by private land including the three acres for the summer camp.

 

The report notes that only 13 of the 160 acres are above water. The remaining land is under Shaver Lake, a body of water created by the Southern California Edison Corporation reservoir hydroelectric dam.

 

Further complicating the deal is the private ownership of 80 acres within the Forest. The bill puts forth the strategy that the owner of the 80 acres would swap that land for the 160 the Boy Scouts want and then convey the 160 acres to the Boy Scouts. This plan came to no end in 1998 when it was recognized that the land values were not equal. The 160 acres is valued at $250,000 and the 80 acres is valued at $200,000. Now and with the guidance of this bill the deal can go through with the private land owner paying the $50,000 difference.

 

The Senate amended the bill to provide for easement to the hydroelectric project by Southern California Edison Corp.

 

 

Sponsor: Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA-19th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote September 20, 2005. Passed Senate amended September 29, 2006. Passed House as amended November 13, 2006.

Cost to the taxpayers: “CBO estimates that H.R. 409 would increase offsetting receipts and direct spending by less than $100,000 in 2007” The $50,000 would be deposited in an existing State account in California from which funds may be used to acquire other non-federal lands.

 

## All Rights Reserved. © 2006 TheWeekInCongress.com(TM)

No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)