Date: 1982-05-17
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 3881. as reported by the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. This bill is narrow in scope. It pertains to a tract of land consisting of somewhat in excess of 19.000 acres. which the Secretary of Agriculture conveyed to the Arkansas Forestry Commission in 1980. The conveyance is one of many that the Secretary has made over the years under the BankheadJones Farm Tenant Act. The deed conveyancing the tract to the commission provides that if the tract ceases to be used for public purposes. it shall revert to the United States. This provision presents a problem which H.R. 3881. as amended. is designed to address. A private party which owns land adJacent to the tract conveyed by the Secretary to . the Arkansas Forestry Commiss!on has need for some 80 acres of land for expanding its production of pine sbedlings for reforestation purposes. The commission is interested in exchanging this amount of its acreage for land of equivalent value now owned by the seedling producer. Such an exchange would not impair the usefulness of the tract for State forest purposes. Acquisition of the 80acre parcel. which is particularly well suited for the production of seedlings. would. however. permit the private owner to assist in fulfilling a need for seedlings for reforestation purposes by other forest landowners in the State of Arkansas. Further. similar valid needs for exchange or other disposition of other portions of the commission tract may arise in the future. And since the United States retained the mineral interest in the land conveyed to the commission. arrangements permitting the commission to acquire those interests for their fair market value will enhance the commissions ability to complete the types of transactions which are envisioned. H.R. 3881. as amended. would address present and future needs of this nature. It would permit the Arkansas Forestry Commission. through exchange. sale or lease. to dispose of portions of the land obtained from the Secretary of Agriculture. but only under certain conditions. If any portion of the land is exchanged. the property obtained by the commission would be required to approximately equal the value of the parcel which would be conveyed away. and the newly acquired property would have to be used exclusively for public purposes. If any portion of the land is sold. leased or otherwise disposed of. the proceeds would be required to be deposited in a separat- account and used exclusively for public purposes. Therefore. the essential public purpose character of the original transaction would be preserved. With respect to the conveyance of mineral rights. the commission would be required to pay not only the costs of conveyance. but the fair market value of the rights as well. The primary difference between the versions of H.R. 3881. as reported by the Agriculture and Interior Committees. relates to the acreage covered by the provisions governing the conveyance of mineral interests retained by the United States. The Agriculture Committee amendment covers the mineral interests in any of the lands with respect to which the Federal reversionary interests are conveyed. The Interior Committee amendment limits the mineral interest provision to the tract of about 80 acres which is subject to the pending exchange. The Agriculture Committee is agreeable to this modification made by the . Interior Committee. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation which is narrowly focused but of significant interest to those immediately involved. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time. was read the third time and passed. and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.