89–006 

116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 116–134 

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 


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1 H.R. Rep. No. 115–996 (2018), https://www.congress.gov/115/crpt/hrpt996/CRPT115hrpt996.pdf. 

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

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. RAU ́ L 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. 


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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-asyou-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. 


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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. 

Æ 


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