Description:
As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on September 18, 2014
H.R. 1839 would require roughly 106,000 acres of federal land located in Colorado to be managed for conservation purposes. The bill also would require the Secretary of the Interior to convey 111 acres of land to La Plata County in Colorado. Based on information provided by the affected agencies and assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2015-2019 period. Because enacting H.R. 1839 would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
The bill would designate about 38,000 acres of federal land within the San Juan National Forest as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System and 68,000 acres of adjacent lands as the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area. CBO estimates that making those designations would cost less than $500,000 over the next five years to develop new management plans, install new signs, and conduct trail maintenance.
The legislation also would require the Bureau of Land Management to convey 111 acres of federal land in Colorado to La Plata County. Because the bill would require the county to pay all costs associated with the conveyance and because those lands are not expected to generate any offsetting receipts over the next 10 years, CBO estimates that enacting this provision would not affect the federal budget.
H.R. 1839 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. La Plata County in Colorado would benefit from the conveyance of federal lands. Any administrative costs incurred by the county to facilitate the conveyance would result from complying with conditions of federal assistance.
