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Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025
H.R. 197, 119th Congress
- Status
- Passed one chamber
- Introduced
- 01/03/2025
- Cosponsors
- 2
- Latest action
- 10/27/2025
About this bill
- Official title
- Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025
- Sponsor
- Pete Stauber (R-MN)
- Introduced in
- House
- Policy area
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Committees
- Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Natural Resources Committee
- Latest action
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 218.
Summary
Congressional Research Service, Introduced in House (01/03/2025)
Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025
This bill directs the Forest Service to exchange specified land along the shoreline of Lake Winnibigoshish (commonly known as Lake Winnie) in the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota for specified land owned by Big Winnie Land and Timber, LLC (BWLT), if BWLT offers to make the exchange. The land acquired by the Forest Service must be added to and managed as part of Chippewa National Forest.
The bill outlines requirements and conditions for the exchange. For example, the Forest Service must reserve an easement for road access to certain land in the forest. The bill also conditions the exchange on the satisfactory completion of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment by BWLT before the nonfederal land is accepted in the exchange.
In addition, the exchange must be for equal value or the values must be equalized by a cash payment, subject to an exception.
Finally, the bill directs BWLT to pay all closing costs associated with the exchange.
Actions
Newest first
- 10/27/2025 · Senate
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 218.
- 10/27/2025 · Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman without amendment. Without written report.
- 10/21/2025 · Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- 01/22/2025 · Senate
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 01/21/2025 · House
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- 01/21/2025 · House
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H242-243)
- 01/21/2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H242-243)
- 01/21/2025 · House
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 197.
- 01/21/2025 · House
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H242-244)
- 01/21/2025 · House
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- 01/03/2025 · House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 01/03/2025
Introduced in House
Subjects: Forests, forestry, trees, Geography and mapping, Land transfers, Minnesota.
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office, GovInfo Bill Status; Congressional Research Service summaries · Last updated 10/27/2025