IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3115 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 29, 2017 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry 
AN ACT 
To provide for a land exchange involving Federal land in 
the Superior National Forest in Minnesota acquired by 
the Secretary of Agriculture through the Weeks Law, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Purpose and need for NorthMet Land Exchange. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. NorthMet Land Exchange. 
Sec. 5. Valuation of NorthMet Land Exchange. 
Sec. 6. Maps and legal descriptions. 
Sec. 7. Post-exchange land management. 
Sec. 8. Miscellaneous provisions. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR NORTHMET LAND EX-
CHANGE. 
(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to fur-
ther the public interest by consummating the NorthMet 
Land Exchange as specifically set forth in this Act. 
(b) NEED.—According to the Final Record of Deci-
sion, the NorthMet Land Exchange is advisable and need-
ed because the NorthMet Land Exchange will— 
(1) result in a 40-acre net gain in National 
Forest System lands; 
(2) improve the spatial arrangement of Na-
tional Forest System lands by reducing the amount 
of ownership boundaries to be managed by 33 miles; 
(3) improve management effectiveness by ex-
changing isolated Federal lands with no public over-
land access for non-Federal lands that will have pub-
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lic overland access and be accessible and open to 
public use and enjoyment; 
(4) result in Federal cost savings by eliminating 
certain easements and their associated administra-
tion costs; 
(5) meet several of the priorities identified in 
the land and resource management plan for Superior 
National Forest to protect and manage administra-
tively or congressionally designated, unique, pro-
posed, or recommended areas, including acquisition 
of 307 acres of land to the administratively proposed 
candidate Research Natural Areas, which are man-
aged by preserving and maintaining areas for eco-
logical research, observation, genetic conservation, 
monitoring, and educational activities; 
(6) promote more effective land management 
that would meet specific National Forest needs for 
management, including acquisition of over 6,500 
acres of land for new public access, watershed pro-
tection, ecologically rare habitats, wetlands, water 
frontage, and improved ownership patterns; 
(7) convey Federal land generally not needed 
for other Forest resource management objectives, 
because such land is adjacent to intensively devel-
oped private land including ferrous mining areas, 
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where abundant mining infrastructure and transpor-
tation are already in place, including— 
(A) a large, intensively developed open pit 
mine lying directly to the north of the Federal 
land; 
(B) a private mine railroad, powerlines, 
and roads lying directly to the south of the 
Federal land; and 
(C) already existing ore processing, milling, 
and tailings facilities located approximately 5 
miles to the west of the Federal land; and 
(8) provide a practical resolution to complex 
issues pertaining to the development of private min-
eral rights underlying the Federal land surface, and 
thereby avoid potential litigation which could ad-
versely impact the status and management of the 
Federal land and other National Forest System land 
acquired under the authority of section 6 of the Act 
of March 1, 1911 (commonly known as the Weeks 
Law; 16 U.S.C. 515). 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COLLECTION
AGREEMENTS.—The term 
‘‘Collection Agreements’’ means the following agree-
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ments between the Secretary and Poly Met per-
taining to the NorthMet Land Exchange: 
(A) The agreement dated August 25, 
2015. 
(B) The agreement dated January 15, 
2016. 
(2) FEDERAL LAND PARCEL.—The term ‘‘Fed-
eral land parcel’’ means all right, title, and interest 
of the United States in and to approximately 6,650 
acres of National Forest System land, as identified 
in the Final Record of Decision, within the Superior 
National Forest in St. Louis County, Minnesota, as 
generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Federal 
Land Parcel–NorthMet Land Exchange’’, and dated 
June 2017. 
(3) NON-FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘non-Fed-
eral land’’ means all right, title, and interest of Poly 
Met in and to approximately 6,690 acres of land in 
four separate tracts (comprising 10 separate land 
parcels in total) within the Superior National Forest 
to be conveyed to the United States by Poly Met in 
the land exchange as generally depicted on an over-
view map entitled ‘‘Non-Federal Land Parcels– 
NorthMet Land Exchange’’ and dated June 2017, 
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and further depicted on separate tract maps as fol-
lows: 
(A) TRACT 1.—Approximately 4,650 acres 
of land in St. Louis County, Minnesota, gen-
erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Non-Fed-
eral Land Parcels–NorthMet Land Exchange– 
Hay Lake Tract’’, and dated June 2017. 
(B) TRACT 2.—Approximately 320 acres of 
land in 4 separate parcels in Lake County, Min-
nesota, generally depicted on the map entitled 
‘‘Non-Federal Land Parcels–NorthMet Land 
Exchange–Lake County Lands’’, and dated 
June 2017. 
(C) TRACT 3.—Approximately 1,560 acres 
of land in 4 separate parcels in Lake County, 
Minnesota, generally depicted on the map enti-
tled ‘‘Non-Federal Land Parcels–NorthMet 
Land Exchange–Wolf Lands’’, and dated June 
2017. 
(D) TRACT 4.—Approximately 160 acres of 
land in St. Louis County, Minnesota, generally 
depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Non-Federal 
Land Parcel–NorthMet Land Exchange–Hunt-
ing Club Lands’’, dated June 2017. 
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(4) NORTHMET LAND EXCHANGE.—The term 
‘‘NorthMet Land Exchange’’ means the land ex-
change specifically authorized and directed by sec-
tion 4 of this Act. 
(5) POLY MET.—The term ‘‘Poly Met’’ means 
Poly Met Mining Corporation, Inc., a Minnesota 
Corporation with executive offices in St. Paul, Min-
nesota, and headquarters in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. 
(6) RECORD OF DECISION.—The term ‘‘Record 
of Decision’’ means the Final Record of Decision of 
the Forest Service issued on January 9, 2017, ap-
proving the NorthMet Land exchange between the 
United States and PolyMet Mining, Inc., a Min-
nesota Corporation, involving National Forest Sys-
tem land in the Superior National Forest in Min-
nesota. 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Minnesota. 
SEC. 4. NORTHMET LAND EXCHANGE. 
(a) EXCHANGE AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to section 5(c)(1) 
and other conditions imposed by this Act, if Poly 
Met offers to convey to the United States all right, 
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title, and interest of Poly Met in and to the non- 
Federal land, the Secretary shall accept the offer 
and convey to Poly Met all right, title, and interest 
of the United States in and to the Federal land par-
cel. 
(2) LAND EXCHANGE EXPEDITED.—Subject to 
the conditions imposed by this Act, the NorthMet 
Land Exchange directed by this Act shall be con-
summated not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
(b) FORM OF CONVEYANCE.— 
(1) NON-FEDERAL
LAND.—Title to the non- 
Federal land conveyed by Poly Met to the United 
States shall be by general warranty deed subject to 
existing rights of record, and otherwise conform to 
the title approval regulations of the Attorney Gen-
eral of the United States. 
(2) FEDERAL
LAND
PARCEL.—The Federal 
land parcel shall be quitclaimed by the Secretary to 
Poly Met by an exchange deed. 
(c) EXCHANGE COSTS.— 
(1) REIMBURSEMENT
REQUIRED.—Poly Met 
shall pay or reimburse the Secretary, either directly 
or through the Collection Agreements, for all land 
survey, appraisal, land title, deed preparation, and 
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other costs incurred by the Secretary in processing 
and consummating the NorthMet Land Exchange. 
The Collection Agreements, as in effect on the date 
of the enactment of this Act, may be modified 
through the mutual consent of the parties. 
(2) DEPOSIT OF FUNDS.—All funds paid or re-
imbursed to the Secretary under paragraph (1)— 
(A) shall be deposited and credited to the 
accounts in accordance with the Collection 
Agreements; 
(B) shall be used for the purposes specified 
for the accounts; and 
(C) shall remain available to the Secretary 
until expended without further appropriation. 
(d) CONDITIONS ON LAND EXCHANGE.— 
(1) 
RESERVATION
OF
CERTAIN
MINERAL 
RIGHTS.—Notwithstanding 
subsection 
(a), 
the 
United States shall reserve the mineral rights on ap-
proximately 181 acres of the Federal land parcel as 
generally identified on the map entitled ‘‘Federal 
Land Parcel–NorthMet Land Exchange’’, and dated 
June 2017. 
(2) THIRD-PARTY
AUTHORIZATIONS.—As set 
forth in the Final Record of Decision, Poly Met shall 
honor existing road and transmission line authoriza-
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