Findings

Congress finds that— (1) since the passage of the Act of July 1, 1862 (12 Stat. 489, chapter 120) (commonly known as the Pacific Railway Act of 1862), under which railroad land grants along the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way created a checkerboard land pattern of alternating public land and privately owned land, management of the land in the checkerboard area has been a constant source of frustration for the County government, private landholders in the County, and the Federal Government; (2) management of Federal land in the checkerboard area has been costly and difficult for the Federal land management agencies, creating a disincentive to manage the land effectively; (3) parcels of land within the checkerboard area in the County will not vary significantly in appraised value by acre due to the similarity of highest and best use in the County; and (4) consolidation of appropriate land within the checkerboard area through sales and exchanges for development and Federal management will— (A) help improve the tax base of the County; and (B) simplify management for the Federal Government.