HR-837-119
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
Sponsored by Elijah Crane (R-AZ)
What it does
This bill would require the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to transfer approximately 232.9 acres of National Forest System land in the Tonto National Forest — the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site — to Gila County, Arizona, at no cost to the county. The transfer would be triggered by a written request from the county within 180 days of enactment. The land must be used exclusively to serve and support veterans of the Armed Forces, and ownership would revert to the federal government if the county uses it for any other purpose.
Who benefits
Gila County, Arizona, which would receive approximately 232.9 acres of federal land at no cost. Veterans living in or near Gila County who would gain access to services or facilities built on the site. Local contractors and service providers who may be hired to develop or operate veterans programs on the land. The county government, which would gain a new asset and expanded capacity to serve a local population.
Who is hurt
The federal government and general public, who would lose ownership of National Forest System land conveyed without financial compensation. Taxpayers who fund the Forest Service bear the administrative and survey costs indirectly, though direct conveyance costs are shifted to the county. Environmental and recreation groups who may have used or valued the land as part of the Tonto National Forest. Future generations who lose access to a federal public land asset. The federal government also waives its standard CERCLA environmental warranty, meaning the county assumes any environmental liability associated with the site.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site is surplus federal property no longer needed for Forest Service operations, and that transferring it to local control is a more efficient use of the land. They contend that dedicating the site exclusively to veterans services addresses a documented need in a rural Arizona county where access to veterans support infrastructure is limited, and that the reversion clause ensures the land cannot be repurposed away from that mission.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that conveying 232.9 acres of National Forest System land to a county government at no cost sets a precedent for disposing of public lands without fair market compensation to taxpayers, effectively gifting a public asset. They contend that the waiver of the standard CERCLA environmental warranty under subsection (f) transfers unknown environmental liability to the county — and ultimately to local taxpayers — without full disclosure of any contamination risks associated with the former administrative site.