310 Acres of National Forest Land Near Okhissa Lake Slated for Sale to Local Development Group

This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to potentially sell off about 310.7 acres of National Forest System land in Franklin County, Mississippi. The land transfer is specifically targeted for the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, but there are a few conditions. The Alliance has 180 days to request the land, and the Secretary must decide that the sale is genuinely in the “public interest.” If approved, the land will be sold via a public or private sale process, and the Alliance must pay the full fair market value in cash, plus cover all the administrative and appraisal costs.

Who Gets the Keys to the National Forest?

This isn’t a standard land swap or donation; it’s a mandated sale of public land to a specific entity. The land in question is currently part of the National Forest System, which means it’s managed for public access and conservation. If this bill moves forward, that land—two tracts totaling roughly 310 acres near Okhissa Lake—will be removed from public ownership and management. For local residents who use that land for hiking, hunting, or just getting away, this means that access could be restricted or eliminated depending on what the Alliance decides to do with the property. The bill ensures that the federal government gets paid, requiring the Alliance to pay the fair market value, determined by an approved appraisal that follows federal standards. They also have to foot the bill for the appraisal and any environmental analysis required, essentially covering the government’s costs to process the sale.

The 'Public Interest' Wildcard

One of the most critical parts of this legislation is the requirement that the Secretary of Agriculture must decide the conveyance is in the “public interest.” That phrase is a bit of a policy black box—it grants the Secretary a lot of discretion without laying out clear, objective criteria for making that decision. Since the land is being transferred to a development-focused group, the public interest argument likely centers on local economic growth and job creation. However, it also means that the Secretary has the power to greenlight the deal based on factors that aren't explicitly defined in the bill, which could make the decision process less transparent than some would prefer. While the intent is likely to facilitate local development, the lack of defined standards for what constitutes “public interest” here is a significant detail.

What’s the Real-World Trade-Off?

For the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, this bill provides a direct path to acquiring federal land for development, potentially bypassing the usual lengthy and complex federal land disposal process. For the local economy in Franklin County, this could be a boon, opening the door for new projects and infrastructure. But there’s a trade-off: the public loses access to 310 acres of National Forest land. This is a common tension point with these types of bills—balancing the immediate, localized benefits of development against the long-term, widespread benefits of maintaining public lands. While the bill ensures the federal treasury gets cash for the land, the public loses the environmental protections and recreational access that comes with National Forest designation. The key takeaway for anyone paying attention is that 310 acres of public land near Okhissa Lake is now on the table, and its future use hinges on a written request, a fair market value payment, and a subjective determination of what’s best for the public.