On the recordSeptember 15, 2014
I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3006, introduced by our colleague from California (Mr. Calvert), authorizes an equal value land exchange of private and Federal property. The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to convey 80 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands in California to River Bottom Farms. In exchange, River Bottom Farms would be required to donate a 40-acre parcel in Arizona to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. Both land transfers will be subject to valid existing rights, rights- of-way, and other valid encumbrances on the land as of the date of the conveyance. The transaction will be executed as an equal value exchange with values determined by appraisals conducted in accordance with Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. In the event the exchange difference is a detriment to the United States, River Bottom Farms will be required to reimburse the Federal Government to ensure that there is no cost to the American taxpayers. I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.
