Why do people pick on the federal government? Because it’s large and slow moving, and it’s ours. It also keeps asking for it.

One of the latest reasons is the slow moving of the U.S. Forest Service on a land exchange on Mount Hood. President Barack Obama signed a bill in 2009 for the land exchange.

Mt. Hood Meadows would give up its plans for a resort on what’s called Cooper Spur and turn over 770 acres to the U.S. Forest Service. In exchange, Mt. Hood Meadows would get 120 acres of developable national forest land.

The Forest Service was given 16 months to do the deal. Some 85 months later, there is no deal.

Why?

The Forest Service had problems with the deal before it was signed into law. It said it was not fair to the public because the appraisals of the land were not done right. And there is still some disputes over appraisals, easements, buildings and special use permits.

Members of the Oregon congressional delegation have proposed bills in the Senate and House to compel the Forest Service to move forward. There are more specific time limits for completing pieces of the deal. Mt. Hood Meadows would get a bit less land — 107 acres, not 120 acres.

Public employees do have to be careful when they are transferring federal land, as U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland, said in testimony on the House bill. But in this case the deal was worked out years ago, he said. The implementation failed.

“It’s sad we have to come back not once, but twice, and pass bills to tell an agency to do what they should do,” U.S. Rep. Walden, R-Hood River, added. He pointed out that by the time the Forest Service got around to needing the appraisal it had done, it could no longer be used. The Forest Service needed to do another.

It’s an embarrassment for the Forest Service that Congress has to come back at this same issue again.