H.R. 197 — Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025

This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) BWLT, as Big Winnie Land and Timber, LLC, a Minnesota limited liability company; (2) Map, as the map entitled “Heig Land Exchange” and dated December 14, 2023; (3) Federal land, as approximately 17.5 acres of federal land in Itasca County, Minnesota, generally depicted as the “Federal Parcel” on the Map; (4) Non-Federal land, as approximately 36.7 acres of non-federal land in Itasca County, Minnesota, generally depicted as the “Non-Federal Parcel” on the Map; and (5) Secretary, as the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to accept an offer from BWLT to exchange specified non-Federal land for comparable Federal land, provided the exchange occurs not later than one year after the offer and is subject to title approval by the Secretary pursuant to 40 U.S.C. §3111 (which generally requires Attorney General approval of title sufficiency prior to federal land acquisitions). The exchange must (1) equalize values via appraisals under federal standards or a cash payment from BWLT if the Federal land exceeds the non-Federal land's value (with any reverse payment from the United States waived as a donation); (2) include a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment provided by BWLT; (3) reserve a road access easement on the Federal land; (4) respect valid existing rights; and (5) incorporate other terms set by the Secretary. The acquired non-Federal land is added to and managed as part of the Chippewa National Forest in accordance with National Forest System laws; BWLT must pay all closing costs (including surveys, title insurance, fees, and environmental analyses) and fund surveys to confirm legal descriptions, with a map to control any discrepancies.