IIB
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4789
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 28, 2006
Received
November 13, 2006
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
AN ACT
To require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Douglas County, Washington, PUD Conveyance Act”.
Definitions
In this Act:
Public land
The term public
land
means the approximately 622 acres of Federal land managed by the
Bureau of Land Management and identified for conveyance on the map prepared by
the Bureau of Land Management entitled Douglas County Public Utility
District Proposal
and dated March 2, 2006.
Secretary
The
term Secretary
means the Secretary of the Interior.
PUD
The
term PUD
means the Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas
County, Washington.
Conveyance of public land, Wells Hydroelectric Project, Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington
Conveyance required
Notwithstanding the land use planning requirements of sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713), and notwithstanding section 24 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 818) and Federal Power Order for Project 2149, and subject to valid existing rights, if not later than 45 days after the date of completion of the appraisal required under subsection (b), the Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, submits to the Secretary of the Interior an offer to acquire the public land for the appraised value, the Secretary shall convey, not later than 30 days after the date of the offer, to the PUD all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the public land.
Appraisal
Not
later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
complete an appraisal of the public land. The appraisal shall be conducted in
accordance with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land
Acquisitions
and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
Practice
.
Payment
Not later than 30 days after the date on which the public land is conveyed under this section, the PUD shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the appraised value of the public land as determined under subsection (b).
Map and legal descriptions
As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall finalize legal descriptions of the public land to be conveyed under this section. The Secretary may correct any minor errors in the map referred to in section 2 or in the legal descriptions. The map and legal descriptions shall be on file and available for public inspection in appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management.
Costs of conveyance
As a condition of conveyance, any costs related to the conveyance under this section shall be paid by the PUD.
Disposition of proceeds
The Secretary shall deposit the proceeds from the sale in the working capital fund of the Bureau of Land Management established by section 306 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1736).
Segregation of lands
Withdrawal
Except as provided in section 3(a), effective immediately upon enactment of this Act, and subject to valid existing rights, the public land is withdrawn from—
all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, and all amendments thereto;
location, entry, and patenting under the mining laws, and all amendments thereto; and
operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws, and all amendments thereto.
Duration
This section expires two years after the date of enactment of this Act or on the date of the completion of the conveyance under section 3, whichever is earlier.
Passed the House of Representatives September 27, 2006.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk.