zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Red River Private Property Protection Act - Directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to relinquish and transfer, by quitclaim deed, all interest of the United States in and to the lands along the approximately 539-mile stretch of the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma to any claimant who demonstrates that official county or state records indicate that such claimant holds all interest to those lands.

Requires publication in the Federal Register and on official and appropriate websites of a process for receiving submissions of such documents.

Instructs BLM to ensure that no parcels of Red River lands are treated as federal land for the purpose of any resource management plan until the Secretary of the Interior has ensured that such parcels are not subject to transfer by this Act.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act of 2014 - Requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce to assess and report on the cultural and historic resources in the waters of the Great Lakes. Directs the Under Secretary to make recommendations in the report on whether: (1) underwater geographic areas in the Great Lakes should be designated as national marine sanctuaries to protect resources of historical and archeological significance; and (2) the designation of a network of underwater Great Lakes areas that protect those resources could bring significant educational opportunities, economic development, jobs, and tourism to the Great Lakes region.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Nevada Mining Townsite Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to implement an expedited program to examine and determine the validity of each unpatented mining claim (including each claim for which a patent application has been filed) within specified mining townsites (federally owned real property in the Gold Point, Ione, Gold Hill, and Virginia City townsites within Esmeralda, Nye, and Storey, Counties, Nevada, on which improvements were constructed based on the belief that: (1) the property had been or would be acquired from the federal government by the entity that operated the mine, or (2) the individual or entity that made the improvement had a valid claim for acquiring the property from the federal government).

Directs the Secretary of the Interior, after completing the validity review, and subject to the county's agreement, to convey to the appropriate county, without consideration, all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to any such mining townsites (including improvements) which are not subject to valid mining claims. Requires the Secretary to reserve the mineral rights in each parcel of land subject to a valid mining claim, but convey, without consideration, the remaining U.S. right, title, and interest.

Requires the county receiving such a site, if one or more individuals (occupants, for instance) prove a valid interest under Nevada law, to reconvey the property to such individual or individuals.

Withdraws the mining townsites from: (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.

Requires withdrawal and conveyance to the owner of the surface rights of any mining claim determined valid which is abandoned, invalidated, or otherwise returned to the BLM.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the examination of certain unpatented mining claims and the conveyances should be completed not later than 18 months after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2014-07-08
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 2014 - Modifies the boundary of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia to include approximately eight acres identified as Wallis House and Harriston Hill.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land or interests, by donation or exchange, from willing sellers only.

Date: 2014-07-09
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
FLAME Act Amendments Act of 2014 - Amends the FLAME Act of 2009 to revise how the FLAME Funds for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) are funded.

Makes amounts appropriated to a FLAME Fund available to USDA or Interior for wildfire suppression operations if the department concerned notifies the relevant congressional committees that a wildfire suppression event is eligible for funding from the FLAME Fund.

Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at USDA or Interior.

Requires adjustments for fire suppression to be made if all amounts in the FLAME Fund established under the FLAME Act of 2009 have been expended and other specified conditions are met.

Amends existing disaster funding adjustments to discretionary spending limits to add provisions related to fire suppression adjustments. National Forest Jobs and Management Act of 2014 - Authorizes USDA to conduct projects that involve the management or sale of national forest material within certain National Forest System (NFS) lands.

Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to obligate funds to cover any potential cancellation or termination for an agreement or contract under such Act in stages that are economically and programmatically viable.

Requires the Forest Service and BLM to notify Congress before entering into a multiyear agreement or contract that includes a cancellation ceiling in excess of $25 million, but does not include proposed funding for the costs of cancelling up to the ceiling.

Date: 2014-07-10
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Kisatchie National Forest Land Conveyance Act - Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to sell specified federal land in Winn Parish, Louisiana. Requires USDA to sell a portion of that land to Collins Camp Properties for the Collins Campsites.

Requires sale proceeds to be used for the acquisition of lands and interests in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana.

Date: 2014-07-15
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell or exchange any or all interest of the United States in 30 tracts of National Forest System land in Georgia totaling approximately 3,841 acres.

Authorizes USDA to reserve any rights-of-way or other rights or interests in land sold or exchanged under this Act that is considered necessary for management purposes or to protect the public interest.

Prohibits USDA from selling or exchanging land under this Act for less than market value, as determined by an appraisal or through a competitive bid.

 Requires proceeds to be used for the acquisition of land for national forest purposes in Georgia.

Date: 2014-07-15
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to Idaho County in Idaho approximately 31 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for use as a shooting range.

Date: 2014-07-16
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Administrator of General Services (GSA), on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, to convey to the Olgoonik Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation, approximately 1,518 acres of real property and improvements that comprise a former Distant Early Warning Line site in the National Petroleum Reserve near Wainwright, Alaska.

Requires the Corporation to pay the fair market value of the property.

Permits the Secretary to authorize the Corporation to enter the property at no charge for pre-construction and construction activities.

Exempts this conveyance from certain provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

Date: 2014-07-29
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2014 - Directs the U.S. International Trade Commission to report to Congress on competition in the trade of wood and related products.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to adjust and make permanent the special tax rate for corporations with timber gains.

 Amends the Act of August 28, 1937, to require any part of the revested Oregon and California Railroad or the reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior to be managed pursuant to this Act.

 Requires covered lands to be managed for the provision of a permanent forest production, protection of watersheds and regulation of stream flow, economic stability, and the provision of recreational facilities. Establishes restrictions on the cutting, removal, and commercial sale of old growth trees within covered areas. Requires Interior to carry out an aquatic conservation strategy and establish riparian buffers to protect natural ecological functions and processes. Specifies buffers and sets forth prohibited and permitted forest management activities in specified areas. Requires Interior to develop landscape prioritization plans and sets forth procedures for environmental impact statements and judicial review. Establishes requirements for timber harvests on designated lands, including restricting roads and harvesting timber to reduce the likelihood of wildfires. Designates lands for conservation and establishes requirements for management, including restricting timber harvesting, motorized vehicles, and roads. Specifies a formula for sharing receipts from activities on the lands with counties. Establishes and modifies specified wilderness areas and designations under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Transfers specified lands to be held in trust as part of the reservations of designated tribes.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Agreement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer specified funds previously appropriated to the National Park Service to counties within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement entered into by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Department of the Interior, dated February 2010.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Emergency Fuel Reduction Act of 2014 - Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to categorically exclude an authorized hazardous fuel reduction project from the environmental review requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) if the project:

 involves the removal of insect-infested trees, dead or dying trees, trees presenting a threat to public safety or electrical reliability, or the removal of other hazardous fuels near certain infrastructure; is intended to treat 10,000 acres or less of public land or National Forest System land that contains threatened and endangered species habitat, or provides conservation benefits to a state-listed species, a special concern species, or candidates for a listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; or is proposed to be conducted on federal land that is adjacent to non-federal land and on which conditions are determined to pose a risk to the non-federal land, or is recommended in a community wildfire protection plan if certain conditions are met. Excludes from treatment under this Act land: (1) that is a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, (2) on which the removal of vegetation is specifically prohibited by federal law, or (3) that is within a national monument.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Garden Valley Withdrawal Act - Withdraws specified federal land in Garden Valley, Nevada, depicted on the map entitled Garden Valley Withdrawal Area, dated July 11, 2014, from: (1) entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.

Date: 2014-09-16
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Soledad Canyon Settlement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to offer to cancel Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mineral contracts CA-20139 and CA-22901 (located in Soledad Canyon, California) and compensate the contract holder for the cancellation with proceeds from the sale of lands near Victorville, California. Withdraws affected areas from mineral leasing.

Date: 2014-11-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Hurricane Sand Dunes National Recreation Area Act of 2014 - Establishes the Hurricane Sand Dunes National Recreation Area in Utah to provide for the enhancement of recreational uses and the use of off-highway vehicles.

Provides for the conveyance of federal lands in Washington County in an equal-value exchange for certain state lands identified on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) map for the area dated November 14, 2014.

Date: 2014-12-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Mineral Materials Contracts Termination Act - Amends the Materials Act of 1947 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to terminate a mineral materials contract and to return to the contract holder any bid deposit and performance bond paid to the Bureau of Land Management if the contract holder submits a request to terminate the contract before production is initiated and before any surface disturbance has occurred.

States that the contract holder's acceptance of the amount returned by the Secretary to terminate the contract constitutes: (1) full and final settlement of the contract, and (2) an agreement not to bring a civil action against the United States with respect to it.

Date: 2014-12-12
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Communication and Alert Maintenance Program for Early Response Act or the CAMPER Act

 Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) provide technical assistance to a state or local government to develop and implement an emergency notification system to warn persons using public recreational lands administered by such government of emergency situations, and (2) make grants to state and local governments to procure and install such systems.

Limits a grant to $50,000. Requires a recipient to match not less than 5% of the federal funds provided. Authorizes the Secretary to establish conditions under which the cost-sharing requirement may be reduced or waived.

Directs the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees, for each fiscal year such assistance is provided, regarding: (1) the state of preparedness of state park and recreation departments to provide adequate emergency notification, and (2) recommendations for appropriate additional legislative action.

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Emergency management
Adds the Tennessee counties of Hickman, Perry, and Wayne to the definition of "Appalachian region" for purposes of Appalachian regional development efforts.

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Housing and community development
Pribilof Islands Transition Act Amendments of 2015

This bill amends the Fur Seal Act of 1966 to revise provisions concerning the disposal of federal property on the Pribilof Islands (a group of five islands off the coast of mainland Alaska named Saint Paul, Saint George, Walrus, Otter, and Sea Lion Rock), including by: (1) authorizing the Department of Commerce to transfer or exchange specified land on the Islands to the village corporations of Saint Paul and Saint George Islands, and (2) giving those village corporations the first priority right to acquire that land on their respective islands.

Commerce must promptly publish and submit to the Senate notice of certification that Alaska has confirmed that no further corrective action is required at sites and operable units covered by the Pribilof Islands Environmental Restoration Agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Alaska.

Date: 2015-01-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
This bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 to give small miners 60 days to remedy their failure to timely file either a small miner's maintenance fee waiver application or an affidavit of annual labor associated with the application and the required application fees.

Specified claimholders are considered to: (1) have received a first half final certificate for the application associated with their claims before September 30, 1994, and (2) qualify for the opportunity to cure the defects or pay the fee under this Act.

Date: 2015-01-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on April 28, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act 

 (Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a process to provide eligible organizations and individuals expedited access to federal land to conduct good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, which are searches for one or more missing individuals believed to be deceased at the time that the search is initiated.

The bill sets forth procedures for the approval or denial of requests made by eligible organizations or individuals to carry out a good Samaritan search-and-recovery mission.

 Interior and USDA shall develop search-and-recovery focused partnerships with search-and-recovery organizations to coordinate good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, and expedite and accelerate mission efforts for missing individuals.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Vests title to real property and equipment acquired using funds provided under the Alaska Kiln Drying Grant Program in the grant recipient in accordance with the compensation provisions in this Act.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2015

 Directs the Secretary of the Interior to offer for disposal by competitive sale certain federal lands in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, previously identified as suitable for disposal in the report submitted to Congress on May 27, 1997, pursuant to the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996.

Date: 2015-01-21
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2015

(Sec. 3) This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to may sell or exchange any or all interest of the United States in 30 tracts of National Forest System land in Georgia totaling approximately 3,841 acres. USDA may modify the boundaries of such lands based on land management considerations.

USDA shall convey by quitclaim deed land sold or exchanged under this bill.

 USDA may reserve any rights-of-way or other rights or interests in land sold or exchanged under this bill that are considered necessary for management purposes or to protect the public interest.

USDA may not sell or exchange land under this bill for less than market value, as determined by an appraisal or through a competitive bid.

 Any such appraisal shall be:

 consistent with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions or the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, and subject to USDA's approval. The consideration for sales of lands or equalization of exchanges under this bill shall be paid in cash.

USDA may accept a cash equalization payment that exceeds 25% of the value of any of the land to be exchanged under this bill.

USDA may sell lands under this bill at public or private sale, including competitive sale by auction, bid, or otherwise, according to such terms, conditions, and procedures that are in the best interest of the United States.

USDA may:

 make public or private solicitations for the sale or exchange of land authorized by this bill, and reject any offer that is determined as not being adequate or not in the public interest. USDA may:

 use brokers or other third parties in disposing of the lands authorized by this bill; and from the proceeds of such a sale, pay reasonable commissions or fees. (Sec. 4) USDA shall deposit the proceeds of a sale authorized by this bill in the fund established under the Sisk Act.

Amounts deposited into such fund shall be made available to USDA for the acquisition of land for national forest purposes in Georgia.

Nothing in this bill authorizes the use of the amounts deposited into such fund for the acquisition of land without the written consent of the owner of that land.

Date: 2015-01-22
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act 

 Requires federal public land management officials to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public lands for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting with specified exceptions.

 Requires Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands, excluding lands on the Outer Continental Shelf, to be open to recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting unless the managing agency acts to close such lands to such activity for purposes of resource conservation, public safety, energy production, water supply facilities, or national security.

Requires the heads of federal agencies to use their authorities to lease their lands or permit use of their lands for shooting ranges, and designate specific lands for recreational shooting activities.

 Sets forth requirements for a permanent or temporary withdrawal, change of classification, or change of management status that effectively closes or significantly restricts 640 or more contiguous acres of federal public lands for fishing or hunting or related activities.

Date: 2015-01-26
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Southwestern Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act of 2015

Withdraws specified federal land in Curry and Josephine Counties in Oregon from: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and (3) operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws.

 Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to revise the segment designations for the Chetco River in Oregon.

Withdraws the federal land within the boundaries of such segments of the Chetco River from: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.

Date: 2015-02-03
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Healthy Forest Management and Wildfire Prevention Act 

 Declares that the bark beetle epidemic, drought, and deteriorating forest health conditions on National Forest System land and public lands, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires, is an imminent threat within the meaning of roadless area management regulations applicable to a state.

Allows a state governor or the Department of Agriculture, with respect the National Forest System, or the Department of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to designate high-risk areas of the national forests and public lands in the state for purposes of addressing: (1) deteriorating forest health conditions due to the bark beetle epidemic or drought, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires; and (2) the future risk of insect infestations or disease outbreaks through preventative treatments to improve forest health conditions. Excludes wilderness areas and national monuments from designation as high-risk areas. Establishes a 20-year period for such high-risk area designation.

Allows a governor or the department concerned, upon designation of a high-risk area, to provide for the development of proposed emergency hazardous fuels reduction projects for the area. Applies the administrative and judicial review processes of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, with modifications, to such projects. Amends the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 to extend the duration of contracts to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests and public lands that meet local and rural community needs.

Date: 2015-02-03
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Department of the Interior to implement a management program within the areas of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah that are administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to: (1) improve rangeland conditions for wildlife and livestock carrying capacity in those areas, and (2) restore livestock grazing to the level of usage in those areas that existed as of September 17, 1996.

Requires Interior, in issuing or renewing grazing permits and in issuing or modifying allotment management plans for livestock grazing in those areas, to incorporate standards and guidelines that are consistent with: (1) the "Utah Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Management for BLM Lands in Utah", approved by the Secretary on May 20, 1997; and (2) the applicable BLM regulations contained in regulations relating to livestock grazing on public land.

Date: 2015-02-04
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Acre In, Acre Out Act

 Prescribes a new requirement for any acquisition of land by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture that would result in a net increase of total land acreage under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, or the Forest Service. Requires the department concerned to offer for sale an equal number of acres of federal land that is under the same jurisdictional status.

Exempts from this requirement any easements acquired to facilitate management of federal lands.

Requires land sold pursuant to this Act to be offered for sale at fair market value (based on local comparable sales), with monthly price reductions if the land is not sold in six months.

 Requires all net proceeds from the sale of federal lands pursuant to this Act to be deposited directly into the Treasury for reduction of the public debt.

Date: 2015-02-05
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Gold Butte National Conservation Area Act 

 Establishes the Gold Butte National Conservation Area in Nevada, which shall consist of 348,515 acres of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Withdraws public land within the conservation area from: (1) entry, appropriation, operation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and the geothermal leasing laws.

Establishes the Gold Butte National Conservation Area Advisory Council.

Designates specified wilderness areas administered by the National Park Service or BLM in Clark County, Nevada, as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Authorizes BLM to establish a visitor center and field office in Mesquite, Nevada, to assist in fulfilling the purposes of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, and the conservation area.

 Terminates the withdrawal of specified parcels of BLM lands for use by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Garden Valley Withdrawal Act

 Withdraws 805,100 acres of federal land in Garden Valley, Nevada, from: (1) entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Federal Land Freedom Act of 2015

This bill permits a state that has an established leasing, permitting, and regulatory program to: (1) declare to the Secretaries of the Interior, of Agriculture, and of Energy that it has either established or amended the program; and (2) seek to transfer to itself, and to implement, existing federal responsibilities for leasing, permitting, and regulating oil and natural gas development.

Any state action to lease, permit, or regulate oil and gas exploration and development shall not be subject to, or considered, a federal action, a federal permit, or a federal license with respect to specified administrative and environmental laws and is therefore exempt from them.

State-issued leases or permits must provide for: (1) the collection of royalties or other revenues in an amount equal to what would have been collected if the lease or permit had been federally issued, and (2) their deposit into the same federal account in which they would have been deposited if the lease or permit had been federally issued.

A state may collect and retain lease or permit application processing fees.

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Energy
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

(Sec. 1) This bill amends the Highlands Conservation Act to reauthorize through FY2021: (1) land conservation partnership projects in the highlands regions of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; and (2) Forest Service and Department of Agriculture programs to assist states, units of local government, and private forest and farm landowners in the conservation of land and natural resources in that region.

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
State Mineral Revenue Protection Act

 Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior, on the request of a state (other than Alaska) and in lieu of any payments to the state under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (FOGRMA), to convey to the state all right, title, and interest in and to the percentage specified in the FOGRMA for that state of all amounts otherwise required to be paid into the Treasury from sales, bonuses, royalties (including interest charges), and rentals for all public land or deposits located in the state. (Current law requires payment to a state of 50% of all money derived from such sales, bonuses, royalties, and rentals.)

Requires any person, after a conveyance under this Act, to pay directly to the state any amount the person owes for which the right, title, and interest has been conveyed to the state.

Requires the Secretary to provide prompt notice of any such conveyance, and the duty to make direct payments to the state involved, to each holder of a lease of public land to which this Act applies.

Date: 2015-02-12
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Energy
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Designates a specified mountain in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest in California as "Sky Point."

Date: 2015-02-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act

Designates specified National Forest System lands, National Park System lands, and public lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and as components or additions to existing components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Designates specified federal lands as biological connecting corridors and as special corridor management areas.

Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Designates specified areas as wildland recovery areas. Requires the development of a wildland recovery plan for each recovery area.

Directs roadless lands greater than 1,000 acres that are within the National Forest System in the Wild Rockies bioregion in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming and that are not designated as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System to be studied for their role in maintaining biological diversity in the Northern Rockies and as part of the overall forest reserve system. Prohibits any new road construction or reconstruction or timber harvest in those lands after the evaluation without an Act of Congress. Prohibits oil or gas leasing, mining, or other development which impairs the natural and roadless qualities of the land.

 Permits provisions of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to be applied, as appropriate, in the implementation of this Act.

Date: 2015-02-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) Amends the Small Tracts Act (the Act) to permit the sale, exchange, or interchange under such Act of National Forest System (NFS) lands the sale or exchange of which is not practicable under any other authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which have a value determined to be not more than $500,000.

Includes as those lands permitted to be sold, exchanged, or interchanged under the Act:

 parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined to be physically isolated, to be inaccessible, or to have lost their National Forest character; parcels of 10 acres or less which are not eligible for conveyance under such Act, but which are encroached upon by permanent habitable improvements for which there is no evidence that the encroachment was intentional or negligent; and parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or a sewage treatment plant under a special use authorization issued by the USDA. Allows the sale, exchange, or interchange of a cemetery that is expected to reach capacity within 10 years to include, in the USDA's sole discretion, up to 1 additional acre abutting the permit area to facilitate the expansion of that cemetery.

Requires any proceeds under this Act to be deposited in the special fund established under the Sisk Act and made available for:

 the acquisition of land or interests in land for administrative sites for the NFS in the state from which the amounts were derived; the acquisition of land or interests in land for inclusion in the NFS in that state, including those which enhance opportunities for recreational access; the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the NFS in that state or other deferred maintenance activities in that state which enhance opportunities for recreational access; and the reimbursement of the USDA for costs incurred in preparing a competitive sale conducted under the authority of the Act.

Date: 2015-03-03
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on November 29, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Arbuckle Project Maintenance Complex and District Office Conveyance Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of the Interior to convey to the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District in Murray County, Oklahoma, all U.S. interest in the Maintenance Complex and District Office, Arbuckle Project, Oklahoma, consistent with the Agreement between the United States and the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District for Transferring Title to the Federally Owned Maintenance Complex and District Office to the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District.

After such conveyance: (1) the Complex and Office shall not be considered to be a part of a federal reclamation project; and (2) such District shall not be eligible to receive any benefits with respect to any facility comprising that Complex and Office, except benefits that would be available to a similarly situated person with respect to such a facility that is not part of a federal reclamation project.

If the conveyance has not been completed within 12 months of this bill's enactment, Interior shall submit to Congress a letter explaining why and stating the date by which it will be completed.

Date: 2015-03-03
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on July 21, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act 

 The Department of the Interior may acquire by donation approximately 44 acres of land to include in the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California.

 The acquired land shall be administered as part of such site.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House reported version is repeated here.)

Arapaho National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill adjusts the boundary of the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado to incorporate approximately 92.95 acres of specified land. The Department of Agriculture shall include all federal land within such boundary in the Bowen Gulch Protection Area established under the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993.

The bill declares that nothing in this Act opens privately owned lands within the boundary to public motorized use or denies motorized access through boundary lands for owners of any non-federal lands within the boundary who historically have had such access.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Promoting Border Commerce and Travel Act 

Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from: (1) establishing, collecting, or otherwise imposing a border crossing fee for pedestrians or passenger vehicles at land ports of entry along the southern or northern border of the United States; or (2) conducting any study relating to imposition of such a fee.

Date: 2015-03-17
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Immigration
Coquille Forest Fairness Act

 Amends the Coquille Restoration Act to require the Department of the Interior to manage the Coquille Forest in accordance with the laws pertaining to the management of Indian trust land. (Currently, Interior is also required to manage the Forest under applicable state and federal forestry and environmental protection laws, and subject to critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act and the standards and guidelines of federal forest plans on adjacent or nearby federal lands.)

Continues to apply: (1) federal law relating to the export of unprocessed logs harvested from federal land to any unprocessed logs that are harvested from the Forest, and (2) competitive bidding requirements to sales of timber from the Forest.

Removes a provision: (1) giving the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon jurisdiction over certain actions concerning the placement of lands in Coos County and Curry County, Oregon, into trust for the Coquille Tribe and the management of the Coquille Forest; and (2) limiting available remedies to equitable relief, unless otherwise provided for by law.

Date: 2015-03-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Authorizes the Navy to convey to Escambia County, Florida, a parcel of real property containing Navy Outlying Landing Field Site 8 associated with Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, Milton, Florida, in exchange for land in Santa Rosa County, Florida, that is suitable for use as a Navy outlying landing field to replace Field Site 8.

Requires Escambia County to reimburse the Navy for surveys, environmental documentation, and other administrative costs related to the land exchange, as well as for costs associated with relocation of activities and facilities to the replacement location.

Date: 2015-03-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

(Sec. 1) This bill authorizes Escambia County, Florida, at its discretion, to convey or dispose of all of its interest in any part of the property on Santa Rosa Island that was conveyed to it by the federal government pursuant to a specified Act and deed to any person or entity, free from any restriction on conveyance or reconveyance in such Act or deed.

 No persons or entities holding a leasehold interest in such property shall be required to involuntarily accept a fee interest in lieu of their leasehold interest.

 Escambia County, within two years of enactment of this Act, shall convey to Santa Rosa County, Florida, all interest held in any part of the property that falls within the jurisdictional boundaries of such county. Santa Rosa County shall not be required to pay any sum for such property other than the actual costs associated with such conveyance.

 Santa Rosa County or any other person to which property is conveyed under this Act may reconvey such property or any part of it.

Any proceeds from the conveyance of any such property by Escambia County or Santa Rosa County, other than direct and incidental costs associated with such conveyance, shall be considered windfall profits and shall revert to the United States.

 Escambia County and Santa Rosa County shall preserve in perpetuity those areas on Santa Rosa Island currently dedicated to conservation, preservation, the public, recreation, access, and public parking.

Date: 2015-03-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Honor the Nevada Enabling Act of 1864 Act

Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior to convey, in phases and without consideration, to the state of Nevada all interest of the United States in federal lands owned, managed, or controlled by the federal government through the USDA or Interior for the purpose of permitting the state to use them to support select beneficiaries. Specifies exceptions, including components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, National Park System, and National Wildlife System, and federally recognized Indian reservations and lands.

Defines "select beneficiaries" as

 public elementary and secondary education; public higher education; public specialized education; public mental and medical health services; social, senior, and veterans services; public programs for recovery plan development and implementation for candidate and threatened or endangered species; and political subdivisions of the state, but only with respect to payment for services and infrastructure on conveyed identified federal lands that would otherwise be financed through property taxes or other revenues available to a political subdivision of the state.

Date: 2015-03-19
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House reported version is repeated here.)

Elkhorn Ranch and White River National Forest Conveyance Act of 2015

 (Sec. 2) This bill requires all interest of the United States in 148 acres of identified land shall be conveyed by patent to the Gordman-Leverich Partnership (GLP), a Colorado Limited Liability Partnership.

 The conveyance: (1) is subject to the valid existing rights of the lessee of federal oil and gas lease COC-75070 and any other valid existing rights, and (2) shall reserve to the United States the right to collect rent and royalty payments on such lease for its duration.

 The conveyance does not modify the exterior boundary of the White River National Forest in Colorado nor the boundaries of Sections 18 and 19 of a certain Township in Colorado, as such boundaries are in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.

 The conveyance shall: (1) be completed by no later than 180 days of enactment of this Act; and (2) be without consideration, except that all costs incurred by the Department of the Interior relating to any survey, platting, legal description, or other activities carried out to prepare and issue the patent shall be paid by GLP to Interior prior to the conveyance of such land.

Date: 2015-03-23
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Forest Access in Rural Communities Act of 2015

 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to cease all implementation and enforcement of the travel management rule (an action that will, or can reasonably be expected to, alter public access to such lands) in all units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain.

 In preparing an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for a proposed access travel management action, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service must consult with affected communities for the purpose of incorporating their needs, uses, and input.

The BLM and the Forest Service may not implement an access travel management action unless and until they: (1) comply with the consultation requirement imposed by this bill, and (2) obtain the concurrence of each affected community.

Date: 2015-03-23
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources