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Introduced July 24, 2025 by Cindy Hyde-Smith · Last progress July 24, 2025
Conveys about 310.7 acres of Homochitto National Forest surface estate in Franklin County, Mississippi to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance (a Mississippi instrumentality) by quitclaim deed in exchange for cash equal to fair market value, after a Secretary‑approved appraisal and survey. The conveyance must occur within 180 days after the appraisal is completed and a written agreement with the Alliance is executed. The transfer is subject to multiple reservations and conditions: the United States retains all subsurface/mineral rights; a perpetual nonexclusive 30‑foot road right‑of‑way is reserved; the Alliance must enter an agreement to maintain Okhissa Lake Dam and assume dam‑safety compliance and liability; the deed contains restrictions (including against subdividing into residential lots) and a federal re‑entry right if the land is later conveyed to a nonpublic entity or used contrary to public recreation/fish‑and‑wildlife purposes. The Alliance pays appraisal, survey, and closing costs; sale proceeds go to the Sisk Act fund for National Forest land acquisition. The Secretary is not required to comply with NEPA or other environmental laws for the conveyance but must meet CERCLA §120(h) disclosure requirements and is not required to remediate hazardous substances.
The bill transfers federal surface land at Okhissa Lake to a local/state entity to expand local recreation management and local responsibility for dam safety, while preserving sale proceeds for forest acquisition—but it bypasses federal environmental review and remediation, shifts cleanup and financial risks to local actors, and reduces federal conservation oversight.
Local governments and the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance can acquire 310.7 acres (Okhissa Lake surface land) for public recreation and fish/wildlife habitat, enabling local management and increased recreational access.
The Scenic Rivers Development Alliance will assume upkeep and dam‑safety responsibility for Okhissa Lake Dam, creating clearer local accountability for maintenance and potentially more focused safety management.
Proceeds from the sale are deposited into the Sisk Act fund and remain available for National Forest land acquisition without further appropriation, preserving funding for future federal land purchases.
The Secretary is exempted from NEPA and other environmental laws for the conveyance, removing environmental review and public participation for the land transfer.
The Secretary need not remediate hazardous substances before conveyance, potentially shifting cleanup costs and health/environmental risks to the Alliance or future owners and nearby communities.
Conveying public National Forest surface land to a state instrumentality reduces federally managed conservation land and federal oversight of those resources.