Sponsor
Eli Crane
Representative · R-AZ
Representative · R-AZ
The bill transfers small parcels of federal forest land to local counties at no purchase cost to meet cemetery needs and speed local use, but does so by shifting cleanup, legal, and some financial risks to the counties and reducing federal oversight and public land holdings.
Navajo and Apache Counties (and their rural communities) receive small parcels of National Forest land (~5 and ~10.62 acres) at no purchase cost so they can expand and control local cemetery capacity.
The conveyances include protective terms and reversion authorities that help ensure the land remains used as a cemetery and preserve public interest if conditions are violated.
Map and survey requirements increase transparency by providing clear parcel boundaries and documentation available for public inspection.
By waiving CERCLA §120(h) protections and conveying land by quitclaim deed, the counties and nearby residents may inherit environmental liability or face reduced federal cleanup obligations, increasing potential health and contamination risks.
Navajo and Apache Counties must pay for surveys and environmental analyses, creating immediate fiscal burdens that could strain local budgets and taxpayers.
Conveyance by quitclaim deed transfers property without warranties, leaving counties exposed to undisclosed title claims or other liabilities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Conveys four small National Forest parcels to Apache and Navajo Counties, Arizona, for cemetery use and exempts those transfers from CERCLA §120(h).
Conveys four small parcels of National Forest System land in the Apache‑Sitgreaves National Forests to Navajo County and Apache County, Arizona, for use as cemeteries. The transfers are quitclaim deeds, provided without purchase price if the counties request them within set timeframes, are subject to existing rights and Secretary‑imposed protective terms, require the counties to pay surveying and environmental/conveyance costs, and include automatic reversion to the United States if the land is used for anything other than a cemetery. The bill also expressly exempts these specific conveyances from the cleanup-notice provisions of CERCLA section 120(h), ties the parcels to maps and surveys, and allows the Forest Service to correct minor map errors and set other protective terms as needed prior to conveyance.
Official title: To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 4, 2025 by Eli Crane · Last progress March 4, 2026