I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4301 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain parcels of land 
acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal features of the initial 
stage of the Oahe Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commis-
sion of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of Game, Fish, 
and Parks of the State of South Dakota for the purpose of mitigating 
lost wildlife habitat, on the condition that the current preferential lease-
holders shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the Commis-
sion, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 10, 2005 
Ms. HERSETH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain 
parcels of land acquired for the Blunt Reservoir and 
Pierre Canal features of the initial stage of the Oahe 
Unit, James Division, South Dakota, to the Commission 
of Schools and Public Lands and the Department of 
Game, Fish, and Parks of the State of South Dakota 
for the purpose of mitigating lost wildlife habitat, on 
the condition that the current preferential leaseholders 
shall have an option to purchase the parcels from the 
Commission, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blunt Reservoir and 
Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. BLUNT RESERVOIR AND PIERRE CANAL. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) BLUNT
RESERVOIR
FEATURE.—The term 
‘‘Blunt Reservoir feature’’ means the Blunt Res-
ervoir feature of the Oahe Unit, James Division, au-
thorized by the Act of August 3, 1968 (82 Stat. 
624), as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin 
program. 
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Commission of Schools and Public Lands 
of the State. 
(3) NONPREFERENTIAL
LEASE
PARCEL.—The 
term ‘‘nonpreferential lease parcel’’ means a parcel 
of land that— 
(A) was purchased by the Secretary for use 
in connection with the Blunt Reservoir feature 
or the Pierre Canal feature; and 
(B) was considered to be a nonpreferential 
lease parcel by the Secretary as of January 1,
2001, and is reflected as such on the roster of 
leases of the Bureau of Reclamation for 2001. 
(4) 
PIERRE
CANAL
FEATURE.—The 
term 
‘‘Pierre Canal feature’’ means the Pierre Canal fea-
ture of the Oahe Unit, James Division, authorized 
by the Act of August 3, 1968 (82 Stat. 624), as 
part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin pro-
gram. 
(5) PREFERENTIAL LEASEHOLDER.—The term 
‘‘preferential leaseholder’’ means a person or de-
scendant of a person that held a lease on a pref-
erential lease parcel as of January 1, 2001, and is 
reflected as such on the roster of leases of the Bu-
reau of Reclamation for 2001. 
(6) PREFERENTIAL LEASE PARCEL.—The term 
‘‘preferential lease parcel’’ means a parcel of land 
that— 
(A) was purchased by the Secretary for use 
in connection with the Blunt Reservoir feature 
or the Pierre Canal feature; and 
(B) was considered to be a preferential 
lease parcel by the Secretary as of January 1, 
2001, and is reflected as such on the roster of 
leases of the Bureau of Reclamation for 2001.
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
Commissioner of Reclamation. 
(8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of South Dakota, including a successor in interest of 
the State. 
(9) UNLEASED PARCEL.—The term ‘‘unleased 
parcel’’ means a parcel of land that— 
(A) was purchased by the Secretary for use 
in connection with the Blunt Reservoir feature 
or the Pierre Canal feature; and 
(B) is not under lease as of the date of en-
actment of this Act. 
(b) DEAUTHORIZATION.—The Blunt Reservoir fea-
ture is deauthorized. 
(c) ACCEPTANCE OF LAND AND OBLIGATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of each con-
veyance under subsections (d)(5) and (e), respec-
tively, the State shall agree to accept— 
(A) in ‘‘as is’’ condition, the portions of 
the Blunt Reservoir Feature and the Pierre 
Canal Feature that pass into State ownership; 
(B) any liability accruing after the date of 
conveyance as a result of the ownership, oper-
ation, or maintenance of the features referred
to in subparagraph (A), including liability asso-
ciated with certain outstanding obligations asso-
ciated with expired easements, or any other 
right granted in, on, over, or across either fea-
ture; and 
(C) the responsibility that the Commission 
will act as the agent for the Secretary in ad-
ministering the purchase option extended to 
preferential leaseholders under subsection (d). 
(2) RESPONSIBILITIES
OF
THE
STATE.—An 
outstanding obligation described in paragraph (1)(B) 
shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, 
the State. 
(3) OIL, GAS, MINERAL
AND
OTHER
OUT-
STANDING
RIGHTS.—A conveyance to the State 
under subsection (d)(5) or (e) or a sale to a pref-
erential leaseholder under subsection (d) shall be 
made subject to— 
(A) oil, gas, and other mineral rights re-
served of record, as of the date of enactment of 
this Act, by or in favor of a third party; and 
(B) any permit, license, lease, right-of-use, 
or right-of-way of record in, on, over, or across 
a feature referred to in paragraph (1)(A) that