The Hood River Valley Residents Committee has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland seeking to force the U.S. Forest Service to quicken the pace of action on a land swap in the Mount Hood National Forest approved by Congress that was to have been finished five years ago. In exchange for 120 acres of developable national forest land near Government Camp, Mt. Hood Meadows agreed to abort plans for a resort on Cooper Spur and turn its 770-acre land holdings over to the Forest Service. HRVRC Executive Director Heather Staten says they have been patient, but they are seeking a judicial order to move the process along. The 2009 legislation gave the Forest Service 16 months to complete the trade, but numerous delays have held it up, most recently over some environmental protections. A Mount Hood National Forest spokesperson told The Oregonian that legal processes have kept progress slow.