U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) introduced the Mountainaire Relief Bill (H.R.862), which passed unanimously Wednesday in the House Natural Resources Committee. The legislation would correct a decades-old surveying error that put part of some people’s private property inside the boundaries of Arizona’s Coconino National Forest.
“Homeowners should not have their hands tied because of a government error,” said Gosar. “It’s time to end this ridiculous situation. Without this bill, affected homeowners can’t sell their homes or make improvements because the homes are currently in the national forest. I am proud to have begun moving this bill forward and out of committee in one of our first business meetings of the 113th Congress.”
Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick said, “Working together is the way to get things done in Congress. Today, we took a big step forward in the legislative process, and that means we are a big step closer to lifting an unfair burden from these residents.”
This bill would settle a boundary dispute in the Mountainaire Subdivision in Coconino County, Arizona. This legislation was introduced because in November 2007, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completed a land survey in the subdivision and found that a previous survey completed in 1960 incorrectly identified United States Forest Service (USFS) property as private property.