Herrera Beutler’s bill transferring federal land to county in Washington passes House

The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) that would transfer ownership of the former Wind River Nursery from the U.S. Forest Service to Skamania County, Wash., which plans to develop the land for recreational and business opportunities.

“This bill exemplifies a groundbreaking, win-win agreement in a rural county where so often, locals’ needs get completely trampled by the federal government,” Rep. Herrera Beutler said during a speech in support of her bill on the House floor on July 28.

Specifically, the Wind River Administrative Site Conveyance Act, H.R. 5093, which Rep. Herrera Beutler sponsored in August 2021, would direct the Forest Service to convey approximately 23.4 acres of National Forest System land, related infrastructure and all improvements on the map titled Wind River Administrative Site Conveyance Proposal to the county, according to the congressional record summary of the bill.

In Skamania County, 80 percent of the land is owned by the federal government, with state and private timber land comprising much of the remaining land, leaving roughly 1.8 percent of land taxable by the county, according to information provided by Rep. Herrera Beutler’s office.

In turn, the county has been hard pressed to fund basic services, such as law enforcement and schools, the information says.

Skamania County currently owns 187 acres adjacent to Wind River Nursery and plans to develop the acquired acreage for recreational, historical and business opportunities aimed at drawing in tourism and additional revenue for the county, according to the information.

“Skamania County can’t thank Congresswoman Herrera Beutler enough for all her efforts to bring this cause from our community to the halls of Congress,” the Skamania County Board of Commissioners said. “This is also yet another example of the congresswoman’s ability to work across party lines to benefit her district and demonstrates her commitment to using her position to drive local issues forward instead of falling into familiar partisan gridlock.”