“(a) Findings.—Congress finds that—“(1) certain parcels of private land located in central and southwest Washington are intermingled with National Forest System land owned by the United States and administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as parts of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Wenatchee National Forest, and Gifford Pinchot National Forest;
“(2) the private land surface estate and some subsurface is owned by the Plum Creek Timber Company, L.P. in an intermingled checkerboard pattern, with the United States or Plum Creek owning alternate square mile sections of land or fractions of square mile sections;
“(3) the checkerboard land ownership pattern in the area has frustrated sound and efficient land management on both private and National Forest lands by complicating fish and wildlife habitat management, watershed protection, recreation use, road construction and timber harvest, boundary administration, and protection and management of threatened and endangered species and old growth forest habitat;
“(4) acquisition by the United States of certain parcels of land that have been offered by Plum Creek for addition to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Wenatchee National Forest will serve important public objectives, including—“(A) enhancement of public access, aesthetics and recreation opportunities within or near areas of very heavy public recreational use including—“(i) the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area;
“(ii) the Pacific Crest Trail;
“(iii) Snoqualmie Pass;
“(iv) Cle Elum Lake, Kachess Lake and Keechulus Lake; and
“(v) other popular recreation areas along the Interstate 90 corridor east of the Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area;
“(B) protection and enhancement of old growth forests and habitat for threatened, endangered and sensitive species, including a net gain of approximately 28,500 acres of habitat for the northern spotted owl;
“(C) consolidation of National Forest holdings for more efficient administration and to meet a broad array of ecosystem protection and other public land management goals, including net public gains of approximately 283 miles of stream ownership, 14 miles of the route of the Pacific Crest Trail, 20,000 acres of unroaded land, and 7,360 acres of riparian land; and
“(D) a significant reduction in administrative costs to the United States through—“(i) consolidation of Federal land holdings for more efficient land management and planning;
“(ii) elimination of approximately 300 miles of boundary identification and posting;
“(iii) reduced right-of-way, special use, and other permit processing and issuance for roads and other facilities on National Forest System land; and
“(iv) other administrative cost savings;
“(5) Plum Creek has selected certain parcels of National Forest System land that are logical for consolidation into Plum Creek ownership utilizing a land exchange because the parcels—“(A) are intermingled with parcels owned by Plum Creek; and
“(B)(i) are generally located in less environmentally sensitive areas than the Plum Creek offered land; and
“(ii) have lower public recreation and other public values than the Plum Creek offered land;
“(6) time is of the essence in consummating a land exchange because delays may force Plum Creek to road or log the offered land and thereby diminish the public values for which the offered land is to be acquired; and
“(7) it is in the public interest to complete the land exchange at the earliest practicable date so that the offered land can be acquired and preserved by the United States for permanent public management, use, and enjoyment.
“(b) Purpose.—It is the purpose of this Act to further the public interest by authorizing, directing, facilitating, and expediting the consummation of the Interstate 90 land exchange so as to ensure that the offered land is expeditiously acquired for permanent public use and enjoyment.