Bill text replaced
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Summary
The Historic Roadways Protection Act would prevent the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from finalizing or implementing new travel management plans that close historical roads on public lands in Utah. The bill specifically targets four travel management areas: Indian Creek (Canyon Rims), San Rafael Desert, San Rafael Swell, and Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges. This freeze would remain in effect until federal courts resolve ongoing lawsuits filed by Utah and 22 counties over their claimed rights to maintain these historical roads.
The dispute stems from an 1866 mining law provision that granted states and counties rights-of-way across public lands for road construction to promote westward settlement. Although Congress repealed this provision in 1976, it preserved existing road rights. When the BLM released travel management plans that would close some of these historical roads, Utah and its counties sued to keep them open. If enacted, this bill would essentially pause BLM road closure decisions in these specific Utah areas until the courts settle the underlying legal disputes about who has authority over these roads.
The bill has passed committee review and is eligible for a floor vote in the Senate. If it becomes law, citizens in Utah would likely retain access to these historical roads during the litigation period, though the ultimate outcome would depend on how courts rule on the underlying rights-of-way claims.
AI-generated summary
Lifecycle of the Bill
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
Dec 2, 2025
HearingSenateMeeting
Dec 2, 2025 · 20:00
Hearings to examine S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, S.451, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to eliminate an administrative fee, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.902, to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a standard for the response time to wildfire incidents, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1005, to provide for conservation and economic development in the State of Nevada, S.1175, to amend section 6903 of title 31, United States Code, to provide for additional population tiers, S.1195, to promote conservation, improve public land management, and provide for sensible development in Pershing County, Nevada, S.1228, to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to modify the cost-sharing requirement for conservation projects carried out by a qualified youth or conservation corps, S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1363, to provide for greater cooperation and coordination between the Federal Government and the governing bodies and community users of land grant-mercedes in New Mexico relating to historical or traditional uses of certain land grant-mercedes on Federal public land, S.1468, to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Alexander Creek, Incorporated, is recognized as a Village Corporation under that Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1860, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Brian Head Town, Utah, certain National Forest System land, S.2016, to exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, S.2033, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, S.2042, to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System, S.2262, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to clarify the nature of public investment for purposes of certain rulemaking, and S.2273, to amend the Act of July 10, 1890, to modify certain provisions relating to the disposal of public land in the State of Wyoming for educational purposes.
Summary
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a legislative hearing on December 2, 2025, to examine 19 bills addressing public lands management, conservation, and resource development. The bills covered diverse topics including wildfire mitigation and response standards, forest health initiatives, wilderness and wild scenic river designations in multiple western states, mineral leasing reforms, and land transfers and exchanges. Specific bills examined included measures to address forest health crises, establish wildfire response time standards, designate wilderness areas in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, protect roadless areas in national forests, and facilitate land exchanges in Alaska and Utah. The Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies provided testimony on the legislation. The bills reflected a range of policy priorities, from conservation and wilderness protection to resource development and land management efficiency. Some bills focused on specific state needs, such as travel management plans in Utah, economic development in Nevada, and land conveyances in Colorado and Utah, while others addressed broader national forest and public lands issues. The hearing represented a legislative review process where committee members and federal agencies examined pending bills before the subcommittee decided whether to advance them. A hearing does not guarantee that bills will move forward; further committee action and votes are required for legislation to advance to the full Senate.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Feb 4, 2026
HearingSenateMeeting
Feb 4, 2026 · 14:30
Business meeting to consider S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.365, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.700 and H.R.837, bills to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.815, to designate the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, as the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater", S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1516, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher Mounds in the State of Illinois, S.1518 and H.R.1550, bills to redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park, S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2102, to establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site, and S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.
Summary
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting on February 4, 2026, to consider a diverse package of 30 bills spanning public lands management, conservation efforts, and historic site designations. The bills addressed varied topics including travel management plans in Utah, wildfire response improvements, emergency communications upgrades in national parks, water conservation programs, wilderness designations, ranger district transfers, and the establishment or redesignation of historic sites and memorials across multiple states. No witnesses were listed for this business meeting, which is typical for sessions focused on committee consideration and procedural votes rather than substantive testimony. Business meetings differ from legislative hearings in that they involve committee members voting on bills rather than hearing public testimony. The bills ranged from relatively narrow measures, such as renaming interpretive centers and amphitheaters after notable figures, to more substantive policy changes affecting federal land management and conservation programs. The package included bills to designate new national historic sites, expand national park boundaries, establish memorial museums, and authorize funding for river restoration and species conservation initiatives. As with all committee business meetings, consideration of these bills does not guarantee their advancement. The committee's actions at this meeting would determine whether individual bills move forward for further consideration by the full Senate.
Video
Watch videoCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
Dec 2, 2025
HearingSenateMeeting
Dec 2, 2025 · 20:00
Hearings to examine S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, S.451, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to eliminate an administrative fee, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.902, to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a standard for the response time to wildfire incidents, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1005, to provide for conservation and economic development in the State of Nevada, S.1175, to amend section 6903 of title 31, United States Code, to provide for additional population tiers, S.1195, to promote conservation, improve public land management, and provide for sensible development in Pershing County, Nevada, S.1228, to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to modify the cost-sharing requirement for conservation projects carried out by a qualified youth or conservation corps, S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1363, to provide for greater cooperation and coordination between the Federal Government and the governing bodies and community users of land grant-mercedes in New Mexico relating to historical or traditional uses of certain land grant-mercedes on Federal public land, S.1468, to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Alexander Creek, Incorporated, is recognized as a Village Corporation under that Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1860, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Brian Head Town, Utah, certain National Forest System land, S.2016, to exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, S.2033, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, S.2042, to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System, S.2262, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to clarify the nature of public investment for purposes of certain rulemaking, and S.2273, to amend the Act of July 10, 1890, to modify certain provisions relating to the disposal of public land in the State of Wyoming for educational purposes.
Summary
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a legislative hearing on December 2, 2025, to examine 19 bills addressing public lands management, conservation, and resource development. The bills covered diverse topics including wildfire mitigation and response standards, forest health initiatives, wilderness and wild scenic river designations in multiple western states, mineral leasing reforms, and land transfers and exchanges. Specific bills examined included measures to address forest health crises, establish wildfire response time standards, designate wilderness areas in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, protect roadless areas in national forests, and facilitate land exchanges in Alaska and Utah. The Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies provided testimony on the legislation. The bills reflected a range of policy priorities, from conservation and wilderness protection to resource development and land management efficiency. Some bills focused on specific state needs, such as travel management plans in Utah, economic development in Nevada, and land conveyances in Colorado and Utah, while others addressed broader national forest and public lands issues. The hearing represented a legislative review process where committee members and federal agencies examined pending bills before the subcommittee decided whether to advance them. A hearing does not guarantee that bills will move forward; further committee action and votes are required for legislation to advance to the full Senate.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Feb 4, 2026
HearingSenateMeeting
Feb 4, 2026 · 14:30
Business meeting to consider S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.365, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.700 and H.R.837, bills to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.815, to designate the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, as the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater", S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1516, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher Mounds in the State of Illinois, S.1518 and H.R.1550, bills to redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park, S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2102, to establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site, and S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.
Summary
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting on February 4, 2026, to consider a diverse package of 30 bills spanning public lands management, conservation efforts, and historic site designations. The bills addressed varied topics including travel management plans in Utah, wildfire response improvements, emergency communications upgrades in national parks, water conservation programs, wilderness designations, ranger district transfers, and the establishment or redesignation of historic sites and memorials across multiple states. No witnesses were listed for this business meeting, which is typical for sessions focused on committee consideration and procedural votes rather than substantive testimony. Business meetings differ from legislative hearings in that they involve committee members voting on bills rather than hearing public testimony. The bills ranged from relatively narrow measures, such as renaming interpretive centers and amphitheaters after notable figures, to more substantive policy changes affecting federal land management and conservation programs. The package included bills to designate new national historic sites, expand national park boundaries, establish memorial museums, and authorize funding for river restoration and species conservation initiatives. As with all committee business meetings, consideration of these bills does not guarantee their advancement. The committee's actions at this meeting would determine whether individual bills move forward for further consideration by the full Senate.
Video
Watch videoCongress
119th Congress
Introduced
Jan 14, 2025
