S. 440

Statement of Scott Cameron 
Acting Assistant Secretary – Water and Science
U.S. Department of the Interior
Before the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
Water and Power Subcommittee
On 
S. 440, a bill to establish a procedure for the conveyance of certain Federal property around the Dickinson Reservoir in the State of North Dakota.
June 14, 2017

Chairman Flake, Ranking Member King, and members of the Subcommittee, I am Scott Cameron, Acting Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the Interior.  Thank you for the opportunity to provide the views of the Department of the Interior (Department) on S. 440, a bill to establish a procedure for the conveyance of certain Federal property around the Dickinson Reservoir in the State of North Dakota. The intent of the legislation is to provide a path for current permitted cabin owners and the Dickinson Parks and Recreation Department to take ownership of certain Federal lands, allowing flexible management of the lands to meet local needs and alleviate the administrative oversight and management of the land.

Before I discuss our views on S. 440, I wanted to note the Secretary’s staunch commitment against the wide-scale sale or transfer of federal lands. He firmly holds that our treasured public lands are to be maintained and preserved according to the inscription on the Yellowstone National Park Arch that reads ‘for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.’ The Secretary is willing to work with Congress to ensure proposals of this nature preserve access and recreation for future generations to come. Therefore, we recommend the following changes to provide additional clarity and protections.

The Flood Control Act of 1944 authorized construction of Dickinson Dam and Reservoir (Project) as part of the Dickinson Unit, Heart Division, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.  Federal lands were acquired for Project purposes which include municipal water supply, irrigation with flood control, and recreation benefits.  The Project provided municipal water to the City of Dickinson until 1991 when the City switched its water supply to the Southwest Pipeline Project.  There are currently two water service contracts associated with the Project, one with Dickinson Parks and Recreation and one with an irrigation district downstream of the Reservoir.

The current management agreement between Reclamation and Dickinson Parks and Recreation for operation and maintenance of the majority of lands around the Reservoir includes the area for 41 permitted exclusive use cabins occupied year round (approximately 25 acres) as well as additional lands dedicated to recreation, and wildlife management (approximately 2,434 acres).  In addition to lands managed by Dickinson Parks and Recreation, Reclamation leases a 10 acre parcel to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F) for the Southwest District Headquarters.  In 2013, Reclamation’s Dakotas Area Office (DKAO) requested a fair market appraisal of the rates for the exclusive use cabins be conducted pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations related to Use of Bureau of Reclamation Land, Facilities, and Waterbodies (43 CFR 429).  As required by Department policy, the appraisals were conducted by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Valuation Services for all reservoirs with exclusive use under the administration of DKAO, resulting in the need to raise rates at all areas to recover fair market value.  The results of the appraisal were presented to the respective managing partners in 2016.

Section 1(b) of S. 440 would provide for conveyance of land permitted to cabin owners and land managed by Dickinson Parks and Recreation.  However, some Project land is not included in the Management Agreement with Dickinson Parks and Recreation (i.e., 10 acres currently under lease to NDG&F) and is not included in the legislation.  This would result in fractionated ownership with continued Reclamation oversight responsibilities and costs.  The Department will work with the sponsor of the bill and the Committee to revise the language to include those lands acquired for the Project with the exception of the footprint of the Dam, auxiliary spillway, and any realty interest necessary to operate and maintain the Dam.

Section 1(b) of S. 440 would also allow permittees two years following the date of enactment of this legislation to purchase a property.  The Department has concerns with the timeline in the legislation as drafted given that surveys of land could take up to two years to complete.  A third party appraisal, which can take a year or longer to complete, can only begin once the survey is complete.  Once the appraised value is determined, additional time may be required for the permittee to seek financing or resolve any appraisal disputes if necessary.  The Department recommends that permittees be allowed up to five years or “as reasonably practicable after enactment of the Act” to allow sufficient time for the pre-sale activities and to arrange financing.

Section 1(b)(2)(A) of S. 440 provides for the fair market value of a property to be determined by a local, third party appraiser, valuing the property as unimproved residential property, excluding all improvements.  A third party appraisal would involve a contract between the permittee and the appraiser with the permittee responsible for direct payment to the appraiser.  If Reclamation were to pay for the appraisal upfront, the contract would shift to an agreement between the United States and the appraiser, meaning it would no longer comply with the language in S. 440 as currently drafted.   The Department recommends clarification of this language to ensure that permittees understand the cost requirement.  The Department recommends that Section 1(b)(2)(A) be revised so that the fair market value of a property shall be determined by an appraiser using the Office of Valuation Services’ third party appraisal process, valuing the property as unimproved residential property, excluding all improvements.  The Department also recommends that the bill be amended to include a requirement for review of the third party appraisal by the Office of Valuation Services as specified in section 2201.4 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations) to ensure that the third party appraisal credibly represents the fair market value of the property being conveyed.  The Department further recommends that all costs paid for by the permittee shall have no effect on the appraised value and the cost for the third party appraisal shall be the responsibility of the permittee.

Section 1(b)(4) provides for the transfer of Federal land currently managed by Dickinson Parks and Recreation, without cost, subject to the requirements in Section 1(c) with no protections required to ensure lands acquired for public purpose will remain available for public use in the future.  The Department recommends that the deed transferring land to Dickinson Parks and Recreation shall provide that all property transferred to Dickinson Parks and Recreation be used and maintained for public access and recreation purposes.  Currently, opportunities to recreate within this area include walking trails, boating ramps, golfing, and modern and primitive camping. According to Dickinson Parks and Recreation, camping spots on the property average 2,158 rentals between mid-May and mid-September alone. Given the Secretary’s firm commitment to protecting public lands, it is of critical importance that Dickinson continues to manage the parcels with recreational interests in mind. That is why the Department recommends that if the property ceases to be used or maintained for that purpose, the jurisdiction of the land would then revert back to the United States.

As drafted, S. 440 does not specifically address the land within Dickinson Parks and Recreation’s Management Agreement located under the Reservoir.  The Department would be happy to work with the sponsor and the Committee on language to minimize future confusion and/or oversight by the U.S. on land under the reservoir.

Section 1(c) of S. 440 provides that each conveyance pursuant to subsection (b) is made subject to two protections. The Department believes additional protections are necessary to safeguard the interests of the United States and the public to operate the dam as authorized.  The Department recommends the following protections be added: the prohibition of any conveyance of subsurface or mineral rights, (2) the inclusion of language to maintain a flowage easement for flood control purposes, and the allowance for the Secretary to make necessary terms, reservations, restrictions, and conditions to safeguard the interests of the United States.  The Department is willing to provide work with the Committee to amend the bill to ensure these protections are put in place.

Section 1(d) of S. 440 provides that the liability and taking provisions only apply to the permittees, not any other transfer of federal land or to any future owners.  In addition to technical recommendations, the Department recommends amending the definition of Permittee in Section 1(a)(3) to include future assignees of the current owners of the cabin sites.

Section 1(e)(2) of S. 440 requires that not later than 180 days after enactment, the Secretary to provide legal descriptions to Dickinson Parks and Recreation of the land to be conveyed.  This will require Reclamation to contract with a registered Land Surveyor to survey the lands and develop the legal descriptions, access, utility, and flowage easements and individual lot surveys.  The Department does not believe it will be reasonable to complete this work within 180 days and suggests increasing the time to no later than 2 years or “as reasonably practicable after enactment of the Act”.

Section 1(e)(3)(A) of S. 440 provides the elevation above which any new improvements can be constructed is currently listed as 2,430 feet.  This elevation is incorrect and ought to be changed to 2,430.6 feet to correctly locate the design maximum water surface elevation.

Section 1(f) of S. 440 provides that any revenues from a sale of Federal land pursuant to this section shall be made available to the Secretary, without further appropriation, for the costs to the Secretary of carrying out this section.  Because revenues are not generated until the properties are transferred to the permittee, the United States would need to use appropriated funds to complete the surveys and appraisals and other pre-sale activities.  In previous legislation to transfer cabin properties, as well as Reclamation’s process for Use Authorization requests, it is the responsibility of the permittees/requestor to pay for the required pre-sale work, including all administrative costs to convey Federal property to private individuals/beneficiaries rather than placing this burden on the United States.  As written it appears the United States is responsible for the administrative costs and therefore in “net” it receives less than market value for the land.

The Department would be happy to work with the sponsor and the Committee to revise the language based on our recommendations. This concludes my written statement.  I am pleased to answer questions at the appropriate time.