Juab County Conveyance Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3777) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System land containing the Nephi Work Center in Juab County, Utah, to Juab County, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3777, introduced by Congresswoman Mia Love, would authorize the transfer of approximately 2.6 acres of U.S. Forest Service land and improvements in the city of Nephi to Juab County, Utah. The bill would require the county to pay all conveyance costs, including the cost of environmental analysis and surveying.

This land has been designated by the U.S. Forest Service for administrative disposal since 2013. Under an agreement with the Forest Service, the county fire department houses its mitigation program on this site.

On August 15, 2017, the county requested the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer this property to the county, which intends to use the land to house its wildlands fire team and equipment, with plans to construct a new fire station on the property.

As fires continue to rage across the West, Congress should take every opportunity to give local communities the resources and support they need to combat these catastrophic events.

While this transfer represents just two ten-thousandths of 1 percent of the 1.5 million acres of Federal land in Juab County, the new fire station it will facilitate could mean the difference between suppression and conflagration when wildfire threatens Juab County.

The legislation would also improve fire response services to surrounding communities and the Federal lands, since Juab County plans to use this land to house its wildlands fire team equipment.

There is strong local support from the county and its elected officials for this conveyance. By ensuring that the surrounding communities and public lands have the emergency response resources they need to respond to catastrophic wildfire, H.R. 3777 furthers the important local-Federal partnership

that is critical to restoring the Federal Government as a good neighbor to the communities it impacts.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Utah (Mrs. Love).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this bill is being considered today. This bill is both timely and extremely important to my constituents.

This summer, tens of thousands of acres have burned throughout Utah. Unfortunately, many regions in the State remain at high risk due to prolonged drought. One of these regions is Juab County, which sits within my district.

Juab County consists of more than 2 million acres of land, much of which is covered with dry, flammable vegetation. The county is also experiencing a years-long drought. In fact, last year, the USDA designated the county as a disaster area due to the damages caused by the drought.

More than 70 percent of Juab is controlled by the Federal Government. While significant Federal ownership and control of land in Utah is often a source of contention, Juab County has developed a cooperative and constructive relationship with their local Federal partners.

The Forest Service currently owns a small property, just over 2 acres, within the town of Nephi, the county seat of Juab County. It has been vacant and unused for years and was identified as available for disposal several years ago. This property is known as the Nephi Work Center.

My bill, the Juab County Conveyance Act, would simply convey this property to the county. Juab intends to use this property to house their wildlands fire team, which is part of their special service fire district. This would enable the county to more effectively mitigate fire risks and protect Juab County residents and both Forest Service and BLM land within the county.

As a former mayor who has dealt with fires in and around my community, including on public lands, I want to do all I can to help my constituents. This bill will benefit both the county and Federal agencies that own and manage lands within the county.

We are talking about a city of about 1,000 people fighting fires on millions of acres. We just want to do everything we can to make sure we get to the fires as soon as possible and help not just protect costs, but the homes and the livelihoods of the families that live there.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

At the markup of H.R. 3777, we voiced our concerns that the conveyance authorized by this bill does not include any standard requirements such as, if it is sold, fair market value; if it is conveyed, a reversionary clause. Unfortunately, the majority rejected our amendment to include a reversionary clause.

We recognize that this property was identified as suitable for administrative disposal, but that designation doesn't mean that it is worthless. We are not being greedy or unreasonable, just mindful of history and precedent.

With that said, we recognize how important this conveyance is to the county, and we will save this particular fight for another day.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.