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116th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 116-134
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BIG BEAR LAND EXCHANGE ACT
_______
June 27, 2019.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Grijalva, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 255]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 255) to provide for an exchange of lands with
San Bernardino County, California, to enhance management of
lands within the San Bernardino National Forest, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon
without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 255 is to provide for an exchange of
lands with San Bernardino County, California, to enhance
management of lands within the San Bernardino National Forest.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
San Bernardino County is the largest county in the
contiguous United States and is home to a large portion of the
San Bernardino National Forest. Like many counties in the
western United States, almost 80% of the entire county is
federal public land.
This bill authorizes an equal-value land exchange of 73
acres of federal land in the San Bernardino National Forest for
71 acres of non-federal land. The non-federal land is currently
owned by Oso Grande, a local disposal corporation, and is
surrounded by U.S. Forest Service land.
The federal parcel contains a less-than-0.5-mile section of
the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, which the bill
proposes to relocate to adjacent land before the land exchange
is finalized.
San Bernardino County plans to use the 73 acres to build a
resource conservation and recovery facility to increase the
efficiency and safety of timber processing and recycling in the
national forest. Currently, timber from the forest is driven
down the mountain through a narrow and winding pass to a
processing facility in the valley, leading to multiple traffic
accidents a year.\1\
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\1\H.R. Rep. No. 115-996 (2018), https://www.congress.gov/115/crpt/
hrpt996/CRPT-115hrpt996.pdf.
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COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 255 was introduced on January 4, 2019, by
Representative Paul Cook (R-CA). The bill was referred solely
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee
to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public
Lands. On May 1, 2019, the Natural Resources Committee met to
consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous
consent. No amendments were offered. The bill was ordered
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous
consent.
HEARINGS
For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 of the
116th Congress--the following hearing was used to develop or
consider H.R. 255: full committee markup held on May 1, 2019.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT
1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act.
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, May 8, 2019.
Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 255, the Big Bear
Land Exchange Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall,
Director.
Enclosure.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 255 would direct the Forest Service to exchange, at
the request of San Bernardino County, California, 73 acres of
federal land in the San Bernardino National Forest for 71 acres
of land owned by the county. The bill would require the county
to pay any administrative costs associated with the land
exchange.
H.R. 255 also would direct the Forest Service to relocate a
portion of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail that is
currently located on the federal lands to be exchanged. Using
information from the Forest Service, CBO estimates that
relocating the trail would cost less than $500,000; such
spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated
funds. Most of those costs would be for environmental reviews
and trail construction.
Enacting H.R. 255 could affect direct spending; therefore,
pay-as-you-go procedures apply. CBO expects that the value of
the federal lands to be conveyed would exceed the value of the
county lands. Under the bill, the county would be required to
adjust the acreage of the land exchange or to make a cash
equalization payment. Any payments would be recorded in the
budget as offsetting receipts, which are treated as reductions
in direct spending, and would be available to the Forest
Service to spend without further appropriation for acquiring
land within the San Bernardino National Forest. CBO estimates
that any such payment would be offset by subsequent direct
spending; thus, the net effect on direct spending would be
negligible.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goals and
objectives of this bill is to provide for an exchange of lands
with San Bernardino County, California, to enhance management
of lands within the San Bernardino National Forest.
EARMARK STATEMENT
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT STATEMENT
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of
the federal government known to be duplicative of another
program.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL, OR TRIBAL LAW
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes to existing
law.
SUPPLEMENTAL, MINORITY, ADDITIONAL, OR DISSENTING VIEWS
None.
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