Wabeno Economic Development Act
Key claim: The Wabeno Economic Development Act directs the Forest Service to convey about 14 acres of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest land (with mineral rights) at market value to Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix, LLC, and requires the Department of the Interior to publish a comprehensive review of federal permitting for stone, sand, and gravel on federal lands.
Abstract
(HR3937 · 119th Congress) Wabeno Economic Development Act This bill requires the Forest Service to convey approximately 14 acres of federal land, including the mineral rights, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin, to Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix, LLC, upon receiving an offer to buy the land for market value. The Forest Service must complete an appraisal to determine the market value of the land, and the offer must be received within 180 days after federal approval of such appraisal. Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix, LLC, must pay an amount equal to the market value of the land and all associated costs as a condition of conveyance. Additionally, the Department of the Interior must publish a comprehensive review of the federal permitting processes for the development of stone, sand, and gravel on federal lands. Latest action (2026-06-10): Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Why this matters
Site-specific Forest Service land conveyances like this one shift small parcels of national forest into private industrial use (here, an aggregate operation), with local economic-development benefits for the recipient and community but incremental loss of federal land. The paired Interior review of stone, sand, and gravel permitting could inform broader federal aggregate-mineral policy, which affects construction input costs and rural extractive-industry jobs.