Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017

Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017

(Sec. 4) This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to convey specified National Forest System land within the Superior National Forest in St. Louis County, Minnesota, to Poly Met Mining Corporation, Inc., in exchange for specified nonfederal lands within the forest in St. Louis and Lake Counties, Minnesota.

Poly Met shall pay or reimburse all land survey, appraisal, land title, deed preparation, and other costs incurred by USDA in completing such exchange. All of the funds paid or reimbursed to USDA must be deposited into accounts and used for the purposes specified in certain collection agreements pertaining to such exchange.

The United States shall reserve the mineral rights on a specified portion of the federal land exchanged.

As set forth in the Final Record of Decision of January 9, 2017, approving such exchange, Poly Met shall honor existing road and transmission line authorizations on the federal land exchanged.

(Sec. 5) The appraised values of the federal and nonfederal lands that were determined and approved by USDA in November 2015 shall be the values used to complete the exchange and shall not be subject to reappraisal. Poly Met shall waive any payment otherwise owed to it by the United States to equalize the values of the exchanged lands. Such waiver shall be considered as a voluntary donation to the United States by Poly Met for all purposes of law.

(Sec. 7) Upon conveyance, the non-federal lands shall become part of the Superior National Forest and shall be managed in accordance with the Weeks Law and in a manner consistent with the land and resource management plan applicable to adjacent federally owned lands in the forest.

Upon conveyance, the federal land shall: (1) become private land and shall be made available for any lawful use in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations that pertain to mining and other uses of land in private ownership; and (2) be withdrawn from appropriation and disposal under public land laws and under laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov