Title: An original bill to release a federal reversionary interest in Chester County, Tennessee, to manage certain Federal land in Bath County, Virginia, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This bill releases certain reversionary interest in land to Tennessee and adds additional lands to the Rough Mountain Wilderness and the Rich Hole Wilderness in Virginia.
Upon the transfer of ownership of the approximately 0.90-acre parcel of land identified as the Webb property to Tennessee for inclusion in the Chickasaw State Forest and the transfer of the approximately 0.62-acre parcel of land identified as state forest land to Tennessee or a non-state entity, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall release to Tennessee the reversionary interest of the United States in the state forest land that requires the land to be used for public purposes.
After such actions, USDA shall offer to sell to Tennessee the undivided mineral interests of the United States in the state forest land.
The bill adds specified lands in the George Washington National Forest to the Rough Mountain Wilderness and the Rich Hole Wilderness. Until the additional land is incorporated into the Rich Hole Wilderness, USDA may use motorized equipment and mechanized transport in the addition for activities to improve water quality and aquatic passage.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3076 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 377
116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3076

     To release a federal reversionary interest in Chester County, 
Tennessee, to manage certain Federal land in Bath County, Virginia, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 17, 2019

    Mr. Roberts, from the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
 Forestry, reported the following original bill; which was read twice 
                       and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To release a federal reversionary interest in Chester County, 
Tennessee, to manage certain Federal land in Bath County, Virginia, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CHESTER COUNTY REVERSIONARY INTEREST RELEASE.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of 
        Tennessee.
            (3) State forest land.--The term ``State forest land'' 
        means the approximately 0.62-acre parcel of land in Chickasaw 
        State Forest that is identified as ``State Forest Land'' on the 
        map prepared by the Forest Service entitled ``State Forest Land 
        Detail Map'' and dated December 13, 2019.
            (4) Webb property.--The term ``Webb property'' means the 
        approximately 0.90-acre parcel of land owned by Kirby and Leta 
        Webb identified as ``Webb Property Lot 1'' on the map entitled 
        ``Webb Property Detail Map'' and dated December 13, 2019.
    (b) Release of Reversionary Interest.--
            (1) Release.--On the transfer of ownership of the Webb 
        property to the State for inclusion in the Chickasaw State 
        Forest and the transfer of the State forest land to the State 
        or a non-State entity, by request of the State, the Secretary 
        shall release to the State, without consideration, the 
        reversionary interest of the United States in and to the State 
        forest land described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Description of reversionary interest.--The reversionary 
        interest referred to in paragraph (1) is the reversionary 
        interest of the United States in and to the State forest land 
        that--
                    (A) requires that the State forest land be used for 
                public purposes; and
                    (B) is contained in a deed--
                            (i) granting from the United States to the 
                        State the State forest land;
                            (ii) dated August 12, 1955; and
                            (iii) registered on pages 588 through 591 
                        of book 48 of the record of deeds for Chester 
                        County, Tennessee.
    (c) Sale of Mineral Rights.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to any valid existing rights of 
        third parties, as soon as practicable after the date on which 
        all actions described in subsection (b)(1) have been carried 
        out, the Secretary shall offer to sell to the State the 
        undivided mineral interests of the United States in and to the 
        State forest land.
            (2) Terms of sale.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                determine--
                            (i) the mineral character of the State 
                        forest land; and
                            (ii) the market value of the mineral 
                        interests referred to in paragraph (1), as 
                        determined by an appraisal conducted in 
                        accordance with subparagraph (C).
                    (B) Payment of costs.--As a condition of any sale 
                under this subsection, the State shall pay to the 
                United States--
                            (i) any administrative costs incurred by 
                        the United States in selling to the State the 
                        mineral interests referred to in paragraph (1), 
                        including the costs incurred by the Secretary 
                        in making the determinations required under 
                        subparagraph (A); and
                            (ii) an amount equal to the market value of 
                        the mineral interests referred to in paragraph 
                        (1), as determined under subparagraph (A)(ii).
                    (C) Appraisal requirements.--An appraisal conducted 
                under subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be--
                            (i) consistent with the Uniform Appraisal 
                        Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions and the 
                        Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal 
                        Practice; and
                            (ii) subject to the approval of the 
                        Secretary.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONS TO ROUGH MOUNTAIN AND RICH HOLE WILDERNESSES.

    (a) Rough Mountain Addition.--Section 1 of Public Law 100-326 (16 
U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 584; 114 Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(21) Rough mountain addition.--Certain land in the George 
        Washington National Forest comprising approximately 1,000 
        acres, as generally depicted as the `Rough Mountain Addition' 
        on the map entitled `GEORGE WASHINGTON NATIONAL FOREST - South 
        half - Alternative I - Selected Alternative Management 
        Prescriptions - Land and Resources Management Plan Final 
        Environmental Impact Statement' and dated March 4, 2014, which 
        is incorporated in the Rough Mountain Wilderness Area 
        designated by paragraph (1).''.
    (b) Rich Hole Addition.--
            (1) Potential wilderness designation.--In furtherance of 
        the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 
        certain land in the George Washington National Forest 
        comprising approximately 4,600 acres, as generally depicted as 
        the ``Rich Hole Addition'' on the map entitled ``GEORGE 
        WASHINGTON NATIONAL FOREST - South half - Alternative I - 
        Selected Alternative Management Prescriptions - Land and 
        Resources Management Plan Final Environmental Impact 
        Statement'' and dated March 4, 2014, is designated as a 
        potential wilderness area for incorporation in the Rich Hole 
        Wilderness Area designated by section 1(2) of Public Law 100-
        326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 584; 114 Stat. 2057; 123 
        Stat. 1002).
            (2) Wilderness designation.--The potential wilderness area 
        designated by paragraph (1) shall be designated as wilderness 
        and incorporated in the Rich Hole Wilderness Area designated by 
        section 1(2) of Public Law 100-326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 
        Stat. 584; 114 Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) on the earlier of--
                    (A) the date on which the Secretary publishes in 
                the Federal Register notice that the activities 
                permitted under paragraph (4) have been completed; or
                    (B) the date that is 5 years after the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
            (3) Management.--Except as provided in paragraph (4), the 
        Secretary shall manage the potential wilderness area designated 
        by paragraph (1) in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
            (4) Water quality improvement activities.--
                    (A) In general.--To enhance natural ecosystems 
                within the potential wilderness area designated by 
                paragraph (1) by implementing certain activities to 
                improve water quality and aquatic passage, as set forth 
                in the Forest Service document entitled ``Decision 
                Notice for the Lower Cowpasture Restoration and 
                Management Project'' and dated December 2015, the 
                Secretary may use motorized equipment and mechanized 
                transport in the potential wilderness area until the 
                date on which the potential wilderness area is 
                incorporated into the Rich Hole Wilderness Area under 
                paragraph (2).
                    (B) Requirement.--In carrying out subparagraph (A), 
                the Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall 
                use the minimum tool or administrative practice 
                necessary to carry out that subparagraph with the least 
                amount of adverse impact on wilderness character and 
                resources.
                                                       Calendar No. 377

116th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                S. 3076

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

     To release a federal reversionary interest in Chester County, 
Tennessee, to manage certain Federal land in Bath County, Virginia, and 
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           December 17, 2019

                 Read twice and placed on the calendar