§ 2200.0-5 - Definitions.

§ 2200.0-5 Definitions.

As used in this part:

(a) Adjustment to relative values means compensation for exchange-related costs, or other responsibilities or requirements assumed by one party, which ordinarily would be borne by the other party. These adjustments do not alter the agreed upon value of the lands involved in an exchange.

(b) Agreement to initiate means a written, nonbinding statement of present intent to initiate and pursue an exchange, which is signed by the parties and which may be amended by the written consent of the parties or terminated at any time upon written notice by any party.

(c) Appraisal or Appraisal report means a written statement independently and impartially prepared by a qualified appraiser setting forth an opinion as to the market value of the lands or interests in lands as of a specific date(s), supported by the presentation and analysis of relevant market information.

(d) Approximately equal value determination means a decision that the lands involved in an exchange have readily apparent and substantially similar elements of value, such as location, size, use, physical characteristics, and other amenities.

(e) Arbitration means a process to resolve a disagreement among the parties as to appraised value, performed by an arbitrator appointed by the Secretary from a list recommended by the American Arbitration Association.

(f) Assembled land exchange means the consolidation of multiple parcels of Federal and/or non-Federal lands for purposes of one or more exchange transactions over a period of time.

(g) Authorized officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land Management who has been delegated the authority and responsibility to make decisions and perform the duties described in this part.

(h) Bargaining means a process, other than arbitration, by which parties attempt to resolve a dispute concerning the appraised value of the lands involved in an exchange.

(i) Federal lands means any lands or interests in lands, such as mineral or timber interests, that are owned by the United States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, without regard to how the United States acquired ownership, except:

(1) Lands located on the Outer Continental Shelf; and

(2) lands held for the benefit of Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos.

(j) Hazardous substances means those substances designated under Environmental Protection Agency regulations at 40 CFR part 302.

(k) Highest and best use means the most probable legal use of a property, based on market evidence as of the date of valuation, expressed in an appraiser's supported opinion.

(l) Lands means any land and/or interests in land.

(m) Ledger account means an accounting mechanism that tracks the differential in dollar value of lands conveyed throughout a series of transactions. A ledger reports each transaction by date, value of Federal land, value of non-Federal land, the difference between these values upon completion of each transaction, and a cumulative balance and differential.

(n) Market value means the most probable price in cash, or terms equivalent to cash, that lands or interests in lands should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, where the buyer and seller each acts prudently and knowledgeably, and the price is not affected by undue influence.

(o) Mineral laws means the mining laws, mineral leasing laws, and the Geothermal Steam Act, but not the Materials Sales Act, administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management.

(p) Outstanding interests means rights or interests in property held by an entity other than a party to an exchange.

(q) Party means the United States or any person, State or local government who enters into an agreement to initiate an exchange.

(r) Person means any individual, corporation, or other legal entity legally capable to hold title to and convey land. An individual must be a citizen of the United States and a corporation must be subject to the laws of the United States or of the State where the land is located or the corporation is incorporated.

(s) Public land laws means that body of general land laws administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management, excepting, however, the mineral laws.

(t) Reserved interest means an interest in real property retained by a party from a conveyance of the title to that property.

(u) Resource values means any of the various commodity values (e.g., timber or minerals) or non-commodity values (e.g., wildlife habitat or scenic vistas), indigenous to particular land areas, surface and subsurface.

(v) Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior or the individual to whom the authority and responsibilities of that official, as to matters considered in this part, have been delegated.

(w) Segregation means the removal for a limited period, subject to valid existing rights, of a specified area of the Federal lands from appropriation under the public land laws and mineral laws, pursuant to the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to allow for the orderly administration of the Federal lands.

(x) Statement of value means a written report prepared by a qualified appraiser that states the appraiser's conclusion(s) of value.