1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “California Desert Conservation Enhancement Act”.
California Desert Conservation Enhancement Act
A BILL
To facilitate land exchanges in California between the California State Lands Commission and the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.
2. California state school land
Section 707 of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa–77) is amended—
in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
“(5) Special deposit fund account
“(A) In general—Assembled land exchanges may be used to carry out this section through the sale of surplus Federal property and subsequent acquisitions of State school land.
“(B) Receipts—Past and future receipts from the sale of property described in subsection (a), less any costs incurred related to the sale, shall be deposited in a Special Deposit Fund Account established in the Treasury.
“(C) Use—Funds accumulated in the Special Deposit Fund Account may be used by the Secretary, without an appropriation, to acquire State school lands or interest in the land consistent with this section.”
by adding at the end the following:
“(e) Memorandum of agreement
“(1) Transactions before January 1, 2018—Any transaction completed pursuant to this section before January 1, 2018—
“(A) is deemed to be in compliance with the terms of the October 26, 1995, Memorandum of Agreement between the commission, the general services administration, and the Secretary; and
“(B) meets the requirements of subsection (a).
“(2) Transactions on or after January 1, 2018—Any transaction completed pursuant to this section on or after January 1, 2018, that satisfies the terms of the October 26, 1995, Memorandum of Agreement shall be considered to be in compliance with subsection (a).”
3. Prohibited uses of acquired, donated, and conservation land
Section 714(a) of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa–81c(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
“(3) Conservation land—The term conservation land means—
“(A) any land within the Conservation Area that is designated to satisfy the conditions of a Federal habitat conservation plan, general conservation plan, or State natural communities conservation plan;
“(B) any national conservation land within the Conservation Area established pursuant to section 2002(b)(2)(D) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7202(b)(2)(D)); and
“(C) any area of critical environmental concern within the Conservation Area established pursuant to section 202(c)(3) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712(c)(3)).”