To provide for the conveyance of certain land to the United States and to revise the boundary of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma, and for other purposes.

March 30, 2004

Mr. COLE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

To provide for the conveyance of certain land to the United States and to revise the boundary of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Chickasaw National Recreation Area Land Exchange Act of 2004'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:

(1) By provision 64 of the agreement between the United States and the Choctaws and Chickasaws dated March 21, 1902 (32 Stat. 641, 655-56), approved July 1, 1902, 640 acres of property were ceded to the United States for the purpose of creating Sulphur Springs Reservation, later known as Platt National Park, to protect water and other resources and provide public access.

(2) In 1976, Platt National Park, the Arbuckle Recreation Area, and additional lands were combined to create Chickasaw National Recreation Area to protect and expand water and other resources as well as to memorialize the history and culture of the Chickasaw Nation.

(3) More recently, the Chickasaw Nation has expressed interest in establishing a cultural center inside or adjacent to the park.

(4) The Chickasaw National Recreation Area's Final Amendment to the General Management Plan (1994) found that the best location for a proposed Chickasaw Nation Cultural Center is within the Recreation Area's existing boundary and that the selected cultural center site should be conveyed to the Chickasaw Nation in exchange for land of equal value.

(5) The land selected to be conveyed to the Chickasaw Nation holds significant historical and cultural connections to the people of the Chickasaw Nation.

(6) The City of Sulphur, Oklahoma, is a key partner in this land exchange through its donation of land to the Chickasaw Nation for the purpose of exchange with the United States.

(7) The City of Sulphur, Oklahoma, has conveyed fee simple title to the non-Federal land described as Tract 102-26 to the Chickasaw Nation by Warranty Deed.

(8) The National Park Service, the Chickasaw Nation, and the City of Sulphur, Oklahoma, have signed a preliminary agreement to effect a land exchange in order to allow the construction of a cultural center and to further protect the watershed and riparian resources of the park.

(b) Purpose- The purpose of this Act is to authorize, direct, facilitate, and expedite the land conveyance and trust acquisition in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Act.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions apply:

(1) Federal land- The term `Federal land' means the Chickasaw National Recreational Area lands and interests therein, identified as Tract 102-25 on the Map.

(2) Non-federal land- The term `non-Federal land' means the lands and interests therein, formerly owned by the City of Sulphur, Oklahoma, and currently owned by the Chickasaw Nation, located adjacent to the existing boundary of Chickasaw National Recreation Area and identified as Tract 102-26 on the Map.

(3) Map- The term `Map' means the map entitled `Proposed Land Exchange and Boundary Revision, Chickasaw National Recreation Area', dated September 8, 2003, and numbered 107/800035a.

(4) Secretary- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior.

SEC. 4. CHICKASAW NATIONAL RECREATION AREA LAND CONVEYANCE.

(a) Land Conveyance- Not later then 6 months after the Chickasaw Nation conveys all right, title, and interest in and to the non-Federal land to the United States, the Secretary shall take the Federal land into trust for the benefit of the Chickasaw Nation.

(b) Equal Value of Lands- The value of the Federal land and the non-Federal land shall be of approximately equal value, as determined by the Secretary through an appraisal performed by a qualified appraiser and in conformance with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions.

(c) Conditions- Notwithstanding subsection (a), the land conveyance and trust acquisition authorized under subsection (a) shall not take place until the completion of all items included in the Preliminary Exchange Agreement among the City of Sulphur, the Chickasaw Nation, and the National Park Service, executed on July 16, 2002.

(d) Administration of Acquired Land- Upon the conveyance of the non-Federal land to the Secretary pursuant to this Act, the non-Federal land shall become part of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area and the Secretary shall--

(1) manage such land in accordance with the Act of August 25, 1916 (ch. 408, 39 Stat. 535), and the other laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the National Park System; and

(2) revise the boundary of Chickasaw National Recreation Area to reflect the acquisition.

END