Overview

Title

To provide for an exchange of certain Federal and non-Federal land in Artesia, New Mexico, and for other purposes.

ELI5 AI

In New Mexico, a plan is being made for a big land swap where the government and a company called Caza Ranches each give 160 acres of their land to each other. This swap is to help the government train special officers better, and both sides have to split the costs equally.

Summary AI

H.R. 2135, known as the Caza Ranches LLC and Department of Homeland Security Land Exchange Act of 2025, outlines a plan for a land exchange in Artesia, New Mexico. The bill allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to exchange 160 acres of federal land with 160 acres owned by Caza Ranches LLC to support the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. The exchange ensures that both lands are of equal value, with costs shared by both parties, and makes provisions for minor boundary adjustments. Once completed, the non-federal land will become part of the training centers, enabling them to expand their facilities.

Published

2025-03-14
Congress: 119
Session: 1
Chamber: HOUSE
Status: Introduced in House
Date: 2025-03-14
Package ID: BILLS-119hr2135ih

Keywords AI

land exchange artesia new mexico federal law enforcement training centers caza ranches llc department of homeland security public resource management land value assessment boundary adjustments subsurface resource access discretionary power

Sources

Bill Statistics

Size

Sections:
2
Words:
992
Pages:
5
Sentences:
23

Language

Nouns: 316
Verbs: 66
Adjectives: 65
Adverbs: 7
Numbers: 35
Entities: 88

Complexity

Average Token Length:
4.09
Average Sentence Length:
43.13
Token Entropy:
4.82
Readability (ARI):
22.77

AnalysisAI

Overview of the Bill

House Bill 2135, titled the "Caza Ranches LLC and Department of Homeland Security Land Exchange Act of 2025," proposes a land exchange in Artesia, New Mexico. The bill authorizes an exchange between the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) and a private entity, Caza Ranches LLC. Each party will transfer approximately 160 acres to the other, and the federal land acquired by Caza Ranches LLC, and vice versa, will be used for training purposes by the Centers. The bill outlines the necessity for equal valuation and a written agreement to document the exchange. It also specifies administrative and procedural conditions such as map accuracy, boundary adjustments, and cost-sharing details for completing the transaction.

Significant Issues

The bill brings to light several significant issues related to the exchange process and its implications:

  1. Valuation Process: There is a lack of detail on the process used to assess and confirm the equality of the land values being exchanged. This absence might lead to an imbalanced transaction, raising concerns over fairness and the prudent use of public resources.

  2. Broad Discretionary Power: The bill allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to impose additional terms and conditions at their discretion. Without clear guidelines or limitations, this provision may lead to potential misuse and lack of accountability in administering the exchange.

  3. Public Rights and Subsurface Resources: There is ambiguity in how public interests, particularly regarding access to subsurface resources not covered by the exchange, will be protected. This raises concerns about appropriate resource management and public fairness.

  4. Subjective Interpretation in Management: Instructions for making minor corrections to maps or land boundaries lack specificity. The subjective nature of these actions could lead to disputes or mismanagement in delineating land boundaries.

  5. Limited Land Use Flexibility: The bill emphasizes that the exchanged land will primarily support the training mission of the Centers. This specification may limit potential alternative uses of the land, potentially constraining optimal land utility and flexibility.

Impact on the Public and Stakeholders

Broad Public Impact: The potential imbalance in land value could impact public resources, undermining resource fairness and resulting in possible financial inefficiencies. The lack of clarity about public access to subsurface resources may also raise concerns about transparent and equitable public resource management.

Impact on Specific Stakeholders: - For the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers: The exchange could provide a significant benefit by acquiring land intended to support and enhance training capabilities. However, the sole purpose of using it for training might restrict broader utility and proactive regional planning.

  • For Caza Ranches LLC: This private entity stands to gain specific federal land, presumably at an equal value to what it gives. However, the unclear valuation process might lead to scrutinized perceptions of favoritism or imbalance.

  • For Local Communities: While potentially improving security and training infrastructures at the local level, the exchange might spark concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and effective public resource utilization.

Overall, while the proposed bill aims to facilitate important training infrastructure for federal purposes, addressing the issues of valuation equality, discretionary authority, and public interest protection remains crucial to ensure balanced outcomes and avoid any perception of undue advantage to any involved parties.

Issues

  • The bill lacks a detailed process for assessing the equality of the land values in the exchange between Federal and non-Federal land. This could potentially lead to an unbalanced transaction with implications for fairness and public resources. [Section 2(b), Section 2(c)(3)]

  • The provision allowing for 'any additional terms and conditions the Secretary determines appropriate' grants broad discretionary power to the Secretary of Homeland Security without clear definitions or limitations, which may lead to potential misuse or lack of accountability. [Section 2(c)(1)(B)]

  • The bill does not specify how the public interests and rights will be protected, particularly concerning access to subsurface resources not covered under the non-Federal land, which raises legal and ethical concerns about resource management. [Section 2(a)(4)]

  • The procedure for making 'minor boundary adjustments' or correcting 'minor errors' is vaguely outlined, allowing for subjective interpretation which may open the process to misuse or disputes over land boundaries. [Section 2(e)(1)]

  • The narrow interpretation that the non-Federal land is to be used solely for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers' training mission without considering alternative uses restricts flexibility in land use and may not optimize land utility. [Section 2(d)(2)]

Sections

Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.

1. Short title Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The first section of the bill provides its short title, stating that it can be referred to as the “Caza Ranches LLC and Department of Homeland Security Land Exchange Act of 2025.”

2. Land exchange Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The section authorizes a land exchange between the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers in New Mexico and Caza Ranches LLC, where each gives the other about 160 acres of land, with all costs and terms shared equally and documented in a signed agreement. The newly acquired land will be used for the Centers' training purposes, and boundaries will adjust accordingly, with provisions for correcting any minor mapping mistakes.