Sponsor
Gabe Evans
Representative · R-CO
The bill trades local control of and continued nonmotorized public access to specific lands plus added federal conservation protections for potential sizable municipal costs, limits on transferred water rights, and retained federal motorized-access easements.
Residents and visitors around Seaman Reservoir keep continued public nonmotorized access to the reservoir and adjacent trails via reserved easements, preserving recreational access.
New federal land acquired in the exchange will be added to Roosevelt National Forest, Cache la Poudre Wilderness, or the Wild and Scenic River system, extending federal conservation protections over those parcels.
The City of Greeley can acquire roughly 78 acres of Forest Service land, enabling local control for municipal uses or park expansion.
The City of Greeley could face a substantial one-time cash obligation if the federal land appraises higher than the City’s land, requiring cash equalization or conveyance of up to an additional 40 acres.
The City must pay all exchange-related transaction costs (appraisals, surveys, environmental reviews, title work, closing costs), creating potentially significant municipal expenses.
All City water rights are excluded from the conveyance, so the acquired federal land does not transfer the City's water resources, limiting the land’s utility for certain municipal or development uses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Forest Service to exchange ~78 acres of National Forest land for ~40 acres from the City of Greeley within three years, reserving federal easements and requiring appraisals and environmental reviews.
Representative · R-CO
Official title: To provide for a land exchange between the city of Greeley, Colorado, and the Forest Service, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 16, 2026 by Gabe Evans · Last progress September 16, 2026
Directs the Forest Service to complete a land swap with the City of Greeley, Colorado: the United States will convey about 78 acres of National Forest System land to the City in exchange for about 40 acres of City-owned land (the City's water rights are excluded). The exchange must be completed within three years of the City's offer (unless extended by mutual agreement) and requires appraisals, environmental assessments, title approval, and equalization of value; the United States will retain two perpetual, nonexclusive easements for public trail access and federal administrative/emergency uses. The law authorizes standard exchange terms: acceptance of the City's title interests, waiver of cash equalization if the City's land appraises for more, and the Secretary may set additional terms and conditions necessary to complete the transaction. It also permits conveyance of additional acreage by the City with Secretary agreement and requires environmental and title safeguards before closing.