Oregon city gains 150 acres of federal forest for water infrastructure

What it does

This bill directs the U.S. Forest Service to transfer approximately 150 acres of federal land in Mount Hood National Forest to the City of The Dalles, Oregon, at no cost to the government. The city must request the transfer within one year, pay all survey and conveyance costs, and use the land only for public water supply and related infrastructure; if the city uses it for other purposes, the land reverts to federal ownership.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a one-time conveyance of federal forest land to a specific municipality for a stated public purpose (water supply). It is a straightforward intergovernmental property transfer with protective conditions.

What the text implies

• The 150-acre transfer removes that land from federal forest management and National Forest System oversight, shifting long-term stewardship responsibility to municipal control.
• The reversion clause is triggered only by use 'inconsistent' with water supply and related infrastructure—the Secretary's discretion to define 'related' could permit ancillary municipal uses (recreation, conservation easements, etc.) without reversion.
• No environmental review or NEPA compliance is explicitly required in the bill text; the Secretary's authority to impose 'additional terms and conditions' may incorporate such review, but the bill does not mandate it.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The transfer enables a municipality to expand public water supply infrastructure serving its residents at no federal cost (the city pays survey and conveyance expenses). The reversion clause protects the public interest by ensuring the land cannot be diverted to private or incompatible uses.

Who stands to gain

• City of The Dalles (gains ~150 acres of developable/usable land for water infrastructure at no acqui

Named in the bill

City of The Dalles, Oregon, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Mount Hood National Forest

Where it stands

• Jan 23, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 23, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Apr 29, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Jun 25, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jun 25, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent”
• Dec 9, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5075)”
• Dec 9, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Hurd (CO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Mar 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $30,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 2 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 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Cliff Bentz, the sponsor, reported $618,750 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon — $20,000 on 1 filing
• Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon — $10,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.