Bill Tracker

Part of what we do at Winter Wildlands Alliance is keep track of legislation in Congress that affects winter, public lands, and winter recreation on public lands. Of course, not every bill introduced into the House or Senate becomes law – it’s usually a long process with several checks and balances – but once legislation is introduced it’s important for the public to weigh in. So, take a look at what’s happening and then contact your representatives in Congress and let them know what you think. Prefer to call? You can reach the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121. From there you can ask to be connected to any of your 3 representatives in their DC offices by sharing your zip code.

Bills We Support

H.R.502/S.896 permanently re-authorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), America’s most popular and successful conservation program. The House bill passed out of committee on 9/13/18 and is awaiting a vote in the house. Although the Senate version is still awaiting a hearing, S.569 the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act, is very similar and passed through committee on 10/2/18. We just need the House and Senate to vote on these bills!

S.1633/H.R.3400 (Recreation Not Red-Tape Act) is a bipartisan bill that will update processes and policies on our national public lands to improve the outdoor recreation experience. This bill aims to reduce barriers to outdoor recreation access, and improve public land management for Americans who enjoy skiing, climbing, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, and paddling on public lands and waters. The Outdoor Alliance blog has a good overview of this legislation. The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill October 3. It has not moved past introduction in the Senate.

S.941/H.R.2644, the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, withdraws Forest Service lands (and really good backcountry ski terrain!) in the mountains just north of Yellowstone National Park from federal mineral leasing for 20 years. Both bills have passed out of committee and are waiting for votes in the House and Senate.

S.483/H.R.1285, the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, would designate more than 126,500 acres of the Olympic National Forest as Wilderness and designate 19 rivers and their major tributaries as Wild & Scenic. Both bills have been referred to the appropriate committees but no hearings have been held.

S.507, the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act of 2017, would add 80,000 acres to the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Mission Mountains Wilderness Areas in Montana, designate new recreation areas for snowmobiling and mountain biking, and ensures the continuation of sustainable timber harvests outside of the protected areas. This legislation has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources where it is awaiting a hearing.

S.566, the Methow Headwaters Protection Act, would protect approximately 340,000 acres of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, including tons of great backcountry ski terrain, from new industrial-scale mine development. It passed through committee in late March and is awaiting a full vote in the Senate. This bill passed through committee in June and is awaiting a full vote in the Senate.

S.713/H.R.1791, the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act, would designate 1.5 million acres of public and private land from Seattle to Central Washington as a National Heritage Area. This designation would improve management of the area and promote economic growth and tourism in the region. The Senate bill passed through committee in late March and is awaiting a full vote in the Senate.

The Outdoor Economy Act, which has not yet been introduced into the Senate, would establish an Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee within the US Department of Interior. This committee would be required to include a representative from the human-powered recreation community.

H.Res.195 is a resolution recognizing the importance of environmental stewardship and the urgency of the fight against climate change. This resolution was introduced by a handful of House Republicans and it’s really encouraging to see some bi-partisan support for fighting climate change. It has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment, which has yet to hold a hearing on the bill.

Bad Bills: Public Lands Heist

H.J.Res.46 (Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the National Park Service relating to “General Provisions and Non-Federal Oil and Gas Rights”) would roll back the National Park Service’s authority to regulate private oil and gas drilling within National Parks. It was sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources in January but no hearings have been held.

H.R.622 (Local Enforcement for Local Lands Act) eliminates Forest Service and BLM law enforcement capabilities and puts local sheriff departments in charge of patrolling federal lands and enforcing land management regulations instead, even though local agencies generally lack the skills or resources to deal with issues that arise on public lands. This would leave millions of acres of public land vulnerable to abuse and severely compromise the safety of the recreating public. Even though the bill’s original sponsor, Jason Chaffetz, resigned from Congress in June the bill didn’t go with him. It’s now sponsored by his fellow Utahan, Representative Chris Stewart. It has not, however, had a hearing.

H.R.232 (State National Forest Management Act of 2017) would authorize state legislatures to purchase up to 2 million acres of land from the Forest Service for the purpose of timber production. Not only does this take public land out of public ownership, it would shift the management of these lands from multiple use (including recreation) to industrial forestry. This bill was Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on 2/10/17 but no hearings have been held.

H.R.1349 (To amend the Wilderness Act to ensure that the use of bicycles, wheelchairs, strollers, and game carts is not prohibited in Wilderness Areas, and for other purposes) would undermine the Wilderness Act by allowing wheeled and mechanized uses within designated Wilderness areas. This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands on 3/15/17 but no hearings have been held.

H.R. 2661 (State Mineral Revenue Protection Act) would amend the Mineral Leasing Act so that royalty payments from oil and gas development on federal lands are paid directly to the states. The House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Mineral and Energy Resources, held a hearing on this bill on 9/6/17.

H.R. 2907 (Planning for American Energy Act of 2017 ) would require the Interior Secretary to apply the concept of “sustained yield” — intended for renewable resources such as timber —  to non-renewable resources such as oil, gas, coal, and uranium. The House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Mineral and Energy Resources, held a hearing on this bill on 9/6/17.

H.R.2936 (Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017) would eliminate environmental reviews and public participation under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Forest Planning and many logging projects. On 6/27/17 the House Natural Resources committee voted to advance this bill to the full House, moving it one step closer to becoming law.

S.1731 (Forest Management Improvement Act of 2017) is very similar to the Resilient Federal Forests Act but is in the Senate instead of the House. It cuts the public out of management decisions on National Forest lands, limits environmental and judicial review of Forest Service projects, and undermines many of the environmental protections in place for our National Forests today. Currently the bill has been introduced into the Senate and referred to the Environment and Public Works committee.

H.R. 3565 (The Federal Land Freedom Act) would transfer power to states to make decisions on oil and gas development on national public lands but only if doing so will lead to the same or greater royalties for the federal government. Read more on the Outdoor Alliance blog here. The House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Mineral and Energy Resources, held a hearing on this bill on 9/6/17.

H.R. 3668 (SHARE Act) would, among other things, allow road construction and motor vehicles (including snowmobiles) within designated Wilderness areas. On 9/14/17 the House Natural Resources committee voted to advance this bill to the full House, moving it one step closer to becoming law.

H.R. 3990 (National Monument Creation and Protection Act) would dramatically curtail what areas could be protected under the Antiquities Act, give local officials veto authority over decisions concerning national public lands; lock in place potentially incompatible uses of protected areas; give adjacent private property owners veto power over land management decisions on public lands; and give the President new authority to undo existing protections. On 10/11/17 the House Natural Resources committee voted to advance this bill to the full House, moving it one step closer to becoming law. H.R. 3990 is one of several bills introduced this session targeting the Antiquities Act. The others, which haven’t advanced, include S.33 (Improved National Monument Designation Process Act), S.132 (National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017), and H.R.1489 (MAST Act). H.R. 243 /S. 22 (Nevada Land Sovereignty Act) is similar but the would only apply to the state of Nevada. Given the complementary efforts in the Executive Branch to undermine the Antiquities Act we’re keeping a close eye on these bills.

Bad Bills: Climate Change and the Environment

H.R.637 (Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2017) and  H.R.958 (Wasteful EPA Programs Elimination Act of 2017) both seek to undermine efforts to address climate change, by repealing federal climate change regulations and prohibiting the EPA from regulating greenhouse gasses.  Both have been referred to relevant committees but no hearings have been held.

H.R.861 (To terminate the Environmental Protection Agency) would eliminate the EPA. The bill has been referred to relevant committees but no hearings have been held.

H.R.1430 (HONEST Act) restricts the types of scientific studies and data that the EPA uses to write or justify new regulations. This legislation passed the House in March 2017.