Does the legislation override existing federal procedures for conducting public-private land exchanges?
Landowners with wilderness-quality inholdings within the proposed wilderness areas would have the opportunity to sell or exchange their land for equal value federal lands. These federal lands will first be appraised for the presence of significant resources like cultural sites. While this is not a new concept, the legislative provision is unique in that it would allow landowners to accept compensation upfront, or accept federal land pending a federal appraisal process.
