H.R. 497 would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to convey 327 acres of federal land to the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District in California in exchange for 310 acres of land owned by the district. Under the bill, BLM would be required to complete the exchange if the district requests, under the condition that the parcels to be exchanged are of equal value. If the parcels are not of equal value, the number of acres conveyed by the party with the lower valued land would be increased. Any lands received by BLM in the exchange would be managed for conservation purposes.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 497 would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, we estimate that any net effect on direct spending would be negligible. The federal lands that would be exchanged under the bill generate receipts totaling $7,000 a year from several rights-of-way. If those lands were conveyed, the agency could request that the holders of those rights purchase permanent easements prior to the conveyance. The proceeds from the sale of those easements would partially or fully offset the lost receipts from the rights-of-way. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues.
CBO also estimates that enacting H.R. 497 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 497 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The land exchange authorized in the bill would benefit the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District. Any costs incurred by the district would be voluntary.
