Wisconsin congressman clears federal restrictions on private company's forest land deal
H.R. 5866 — To require the Secretary of Agriculture to release a reversionary interest in certain land in the Black River State Forest in Millston, Wisconsin, and for other purposes. · Filed by Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) · Introduced Oct 28, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release a federal reversionary interest (a claim that the land revert to federal ownership if misused) in approximately 31.83 acres of state forest land in Wisconsin's Black River State Forest. The release is conditional: it occurs only if Wisconsin agrees to swap that state forest land to Deli, Inc. (a sphagnum moss company in Millston) in exchange for Deli, Inc. conveying approximately 37.27 acres of private land to the state to be added to the forest. The bill benefits Deli, Inc. by removing federal restrictions on land it will acquire, and benefits Wisconsin by acquiring more acreage for the state forest.
Why we flagged it
The bill is narrowly tailored to benefit one named private company (Deli, Inc.) in one specific Wisconsin town by removing federal restrictions on a land exchange. It is not a broad policy change but a targeted legislative favor for a single entity.
What the text implies
- Removal of federal perpetual-use requirement means Wisconsin has no federal backstop if the state later sells or misuses the forest land; accountability shifts entirely to state law.
- Deli, Inc. acquires state forest land (formerly subject to federal public-use mandate) and may use it for sphagnum moss extraction, a commercial use that may conflict with traditional forest conservation.
- The bill is introduced by Rep. Van Orden, whose district includes Millston, Wisconsin—a single-district carve-out for a constituent company.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Wisconsin citizens gain approximately 37 acres added to state forest (a public benefit), but the state loses federal oversight ensuring the 31.83 acres remain in public use in perpetuity—a permanent loss of federal accountability. The net effect on public access and forest preservation depends on Wisconsin's stewardship and Deli, Inc.'s actual use of the acquired land.
Who stands to gain
- Deli, Inc. (sphagnum moss production company)
Named in the bill
Deli, Inc., Black River State Forest, Millston, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, Governor of Wisconsin, Secretary of Agriculture, Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, Rep. Van Orden
Where it stands
- Oct 28, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 28, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $235,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 10 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Derrick Van Orden, the sponsor, reported $1,070,491 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- General Aviation Manufacturers Association — $235,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (5,268 characters) on May 19, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 17, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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