II 

Calendar No. 422 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1348 

[Report No. 118–185] 

To redesignate land within certain wilderness study areas in the State of 

Wyoming, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 27, 2023 

Mr. BARRASSO (for himself and Ms. LUMMIS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

JUNE 18, 2024 

Reported by Mr. MANCHIN, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To redesignate land within certain wilderness study areas 

in the State of Wyoming, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wyoming Public Lands 

5 Initiative Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) BUREAU.—The term ‘‘Bureau’’ means the 

4 Bureau of Land Management. 

5 (2) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

6 means the Department of the Interior. 

7 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

8 the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. 

9 (4) EMERGENCY.—The term ‘‘emergency’’ 

10 means a situation that requires immediate action be11 cause of an imminent danger— 

12 (A) to the health or safety of people; or 

13 (B) of harm to property. 

14 (5) RANGE IMPROVEMENT.—The term ‘‘range 

15 improvement’’ has the meaning given the term in 

16 section 3 of the Public Rangelands Improvement Act 

17 of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1902). 

18 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

19 of Wyoming. 

20 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF LAND IN CARBON COUNTY, WYO21 MING. 

22 (a) DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS.— 

23 (1) ENCAMPMENT RIVER CANYON WILDER24 NESS.— 

25 (A) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with 

26 the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 


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1 except as provided in subparagraph (B), the 

2 land within the boundaries of the Encampment 

3 River Canyon Wilderness Study Area is des4 ignated as wilderness and as a component of 

5 the National Wilderness Preservation System, 

6 to be known as the ‘‘Encampment River Can7 yon Wilderness’’ (referred to in this paragraph 

8 as the ‘‘Wilderness’’). 

9 (B) EXCLUDED LAND.— 

10 (i) DEFINITION OF WATER VALLEY

11 ROAD.—In this subparagraph, the term 

12 ‘‘Water Valley Road’’ means the road in 

13 Carbon County, Wyoming, that is 50 feet 

14 wide and 17,340 feet long, consisting of 

15 approximately 19.904 acres of land in T. 

16 14 N., R. 84 W., including— 

17 (I) in sec. 22, land in— 

(aa) the NE1⁄4SW1 18 ⁄4; and 

(bb) the S1⁄2SW1 19 ⁄4; 

20 (II) in sec. 27, land in lots 4, 6, 

and 7 of the NW1⁄4SW1 21 ⁄4; 

22 (III) in sec. 28, land in lot 1 of 

the NE1⁄4SE1 23 ⁄4; 

24 (IV) in sec. 34, land in— 

(aa) the S1⁄2NE1 25 ⁄4; and 


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(bb) the E1⁄2NW1 1 ⁄4; and 

2 (V) in sec. 35, land in— 

(aa) the N1⁄2SW1 3 ⁄4; 

(bb) the NW1⁄4SE1 4 ⁄4; and 

(cc) the S1⁄2SE1 5 ⁄4. 

6 (ii) LAND EXCLUDED FROM THE WIL7 DERNESS.—The following land is not in8 cluded in the Wilderness: 

9 (I) Any land in the 

NW1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1 10 ⁄4 sec. 24, T. 14 N., 

11 R. 84 W. 

12 (II) Any land within 50 feet of 

13 the centerline of— 

14 (aa) County Road 353; or 

15 (bb) Water Valley Road. 

16 (C) MAINTENANCE OF ROADS.—Necessary 

17 maintenance or repairs to County Road 353 or 

18 Water Valley Road (as defined in subparagraph 

19 (B)) shall be permitted after the date of enact20 ment of this Act, consistent with the require21 ments of this subsection. 

22 (D) WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.— 

23 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

24 days after the date of enactment of this 


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1 Act, the Director shall establish a fire sup2 pression plan for the protection of— 

3 (I) any individual or structure 

4 adjacent to the Wilderness; and 

5 (II) the population centers of— 

6 (aa) Encampment, Wyo7 ming; and 

8 (bb) Riverside, Wyoming. 

9 (ii) COORDINATION.—In carrying out 

10 clause (i), the Director shall coordinate 

11 with— 

12 (I) the Wyoming State Forestry 

13 Division; and 

14 (II) Carbon County, Wyoming. 

15 (2) PROSPECT MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS.— 

16 (A) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with 

17 the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 

18 except as provided in subparagraph (B), the 

19 land within the boundaries of the Prospect 

20 Mountain Wilderness Study Area is designated 

21 as wilderness and as a component of the Na22 tional Wilderness Preservation System, to be 

23 known as the ‘‘Prospect Mountain Wilderness’’ 

24 (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘‘Wilder25 ness’’). 


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1 (B) EXCLUDED LAND.—Any land within 

2 100 feet of the centerline of Prospect Road is 

3 not included in the Wilderness. 

4 (C) MAINTENANCE OF PROSPECT ROAD.— 

5 Necessary maintenance or repairs to Prospect 

6 Road shall be permitted after the date of enact7 ment of this Act, consistent with the require8 ments of this subsection. 

9 (3) MANAGEMENT OF WILDERNESS AREAS.— 

10 (A) ADMINISTRATION.—Subject to valid 

11 existing rights, the wilderness areas designated 

12 in paragraphs (1) and (2) (referred to in this 

13 paragraph as the ‘‘Wilderness Areas’’) shall be 

14 administered by the Director in accordance 

15 with— 

16 (i) this paragraph; and 

17 (ii) the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

18 1131 et seq.), except that any reference in 

19 that Act to the effective date of that Act 

20 shall be considered to be a reference to the 

21 date of enactment of this Act. 

22 (B) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

23 Wilderness Areas, where established before the 

24 date of enactment of this Act, shall be allowed 

25 to continue in accordance with— 


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1 (i) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness 

2 Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)); 

3 (ii) the guidelines set forth in the re4 port of the Committee on Interior and In5 sular Affairs of the House of Representa6 tives accompanying H.R. 5487 of the 96th 

7 Congress (H. Rept. 96–617); and 

8 (iii) the guidelines set forth in appen9 dix A of the Report of the Committee on 

10 Interior and Insular Affairs to accompany 

11 H.R. 2570 of the 101st Congress (H. 

12 Rept. 101–405). 

13 (C) REVIEW OF POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND

14 REGULATIONS.— 

15 (i) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that the 

16 policies, practices, and regulations of the 

17 Department conform to and implement the 

18 intent of Congress regarding forest fires 

19 and the outbreak of disease or insects, not 

20 later than 180 days after the date of en21 actment of this Act, the Secretary of the 

22 Interior shall review all policies, practices, 

23 and regulations of the Department applica24 ble to the Wilderness Areas that pertain 

25 to— 


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1 (I) wildland fires, including the 

2 use of modern methods of fire sup3 pression (including mechanical activ4 ity, as necessary); or 

5 (II) the outbreak of disease or in6 sect populations. 

7 (ii) REVISIONS.—On completion of the 

8 review under clause (i), the Secretary of 

9 the Interior shall revise or develop policies, 

10 practices, and regulations for the Wilder11 ness Areas— 

12 (I) to ensure the timely and effi13 cient control of fires, diseases, and in14 sects in the Wilderness Areas, in ac15 cordance with section 4(d)(1) of the 

16 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

17 1133(d)(1)); and 

18 (II) to provide, to the maximum 

19 extent practicable, adequate protection 

20 from forest fires, disease outbreaks, 

21 and insect infestations to any Federal, 

22 State, or private land adjacent to the 

23 Wilderness Areas. 

24 (b) DESIGNATION OF BENNETT MOUNTAINS SPE25 CIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.— 


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1 (1) DESIGNATION.—The land within the Ben2 nett Mountains Wilderness Study Area is designated 

3 as the ‘‘Bennett Mountains Special Management 

4 Area’’ (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Special 

5 Management Area’’). 

6 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Manage7 ment Area shall be administered by the Director. 

8 (3) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

9 (A) ROADS.— 

10 (i) PROHIBITION ON NEW PERMANENT

11 ROADS.—The construction of new perma12 nent roads in the Special Management 

13 Area shall not be allowed. 

14 (ii) TEMPORARY ROADS.—The Direc15 tor may authorize the construction of new 

16 temporary roads to respond to an emer17 gency. 

18 (B) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

19 needed for administrative purposes, to respond 

20 to an emergency, or to develop range improve21 ments, the use of motorized and mechanized ve22 hicles in the Special Management Area shall be 

23 allowed only on existing roads and trails des24 ignated for the use of motorized or mechanized 


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1 vehicles by the travel management plan estab2 lished under subparagraph (C). 

3 (C) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not 

4 later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

5 of this Act, the Director shall establish a travel 

6 management plan for the Special Management 

7 Area. 

8 (4) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the Spe9 cial Management Area shall be administered— 

10 (A) as a nondiscretionary use; and 

11 (B) in accordance with the laws generally 

12 applicable to land under the jurisdiction of the 

13 Bureau, including— 

14 (i) the Act of June 28, 1934 (com15 monly known as the ‘‘Taylor Grazing 

16 Act’’) (48 Stat. 1269, chapter 865; 43 

17 U.S.C. 315 et seq.); 

18 (ii) the Federal Land Policy and Man19 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 

20 seq.); and 

21 (iii) the Public Rangelands Improve22 ment Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1901 et 

23 seq.). 

24 (5) FIRE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPRESSION.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

2 carry out fire management and suppression ac3 tivities in the Special Management Area in ac4 cordance with the laws generally applicable to 

5 land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

6 (B) REVIEW OF POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND

7 REGULATIONS.— 

8 (i) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that the 

9 policies, practices, and regulations of the 

10 Bureau conform to and implement the in11 tent of Congress regarding forest fires, not 

12 later than 180 days after the date of en13 actment of this Act, the Director shall re14 view all policies, practices, and regulations 

15 of the Bureau applicable to the Special 

16 Management Area that pertain to wildland 

17 fires, including the use of modern methods 

18 of fire suppression. 

19 (ii) REVISION.—On completion of the 

20 review under clause (i), the Director shall 

21 revise or develop policies, practices, and 

22 regulations for the Special Management 

23 Area— 


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1 (I) to ensure the timely and effi2 cient control of fires in the Special 

3 Management Area; and 

4 (II) to provide, to the maximum 

5 extent practicable, adequate protection 

6 from forest fires to any Federal, 

7 State, or private land adjacent to the 

8 Special Management Area. 

9 (6) TIMBER HARVESTING.—Commercial timber 

10 harvesting shall not be allowed in the Special Man11 agement Area. 

12 (7) WITHDRAWAL.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

14 subparagraph (B), subject to valid rights in ex15 istence on the date of enactment of this Act, 

16 the land within the boundaries of the Special 

17 Management Area is withdrawn from— 

18 (i) location, entry, and patent under 

19 the mining laws; and 

20 (ii) disposition under all laws relating 

21 to mineral and geothermal leasing. 

22 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of the In23 terior may lease oil and gas resources within 

24 the boundaries of the Special Management Area 

25 if— 


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1 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

2 directional drilling from a lease that is out3 side of the Special Management Area; and 

4 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep5 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur6 face disturbance within the Special Man7 agement Area for any activities, including 

8 activities related to exploration, develop9 ment, or production. 

10 (c) DESIGNATION OF BLACK CAT SPECIAL MANAGE11 MENT AREA.— 

12 (1) DESIGNATION.—The land described in 

13 paragraph (2) is designated as the ‘‘Black Cat Spe14 cial Management Area’’ (referred to in this sub15 section as the ‘‘Special Management Area’’). 

16 (2) INCLUDED LAND.—The Special Manage17 ment Area shall consist of— 

18 (A) the Federal land in T. 14 N., R. 81 

19 W., sec. 35, that is managed by the Forest 

20 Service; and 

21 (B) the portions of T. 14 N., R. 81 W., 

22 secs. 26, 35, and 36, that are south and west 

23 of the North Platte River. 


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1 (3) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Manage2 ment Area shall be administered by the Secretary of 

3 Agriculture. 

4 (4) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

5 (A) ROADS.— 

6 (i) PROHIBITION ON NEW PERMANENT

7 ROADS.—The construction of new perma8 nent roads in the Special Management 

9 Area shall not be allowed. 

10 (ii) TEMPORARY ROADS.—The Sec11 retary of Agriculture may authorize the 

12 construction of new temporary roads to re13 spond to an emergency. 

14 (B) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

15 needed for administrative purposes, to respond 

16 to an emergency, or to develop or maintain 

17 range improvements, the Secretary of Agri18 culture shall prohibit the use of motorized and 

19 mechanized vehicles in the Special Management 

20 Area. 

21 (5) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the Spe22 cial Management Areas shall be administered— 

23 (A) as a nondiscretionary use; and 


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1 (B) in accordance with the laws generally 

2 applicable to the National Forest System, in3 cluding— 

4 (i) the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield 

5 Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 528 et seq.); 

6 (ii) the Act of June 28, 1934 (com7 monly known as the ‘‘Taylor Grazing 

8 Act’’) (48 Stat. 1269, chapter 865; 43 

9 U.S.C. 315 et seq.); and 

10 (iii) the Public Rangelands Improve11 ment Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1901 et 

12 seq.). 

13 (6) FIRE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPRESSION.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agri15 culture shall carry out fire management and 

16 suppression activities in the Special Manage17 ment Area— 

18 (i) in accordance with the laws gen19 erally applicable to— 

20 (I) the National Forest System; 

21 and 

22 (II) the land within the bound23 aries of the Special Management 

24 Area; and 


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1 (ii)(I) if a land management plan has 

2 been established for the Special Manage3 ment Area, in accordance with that land 

4 management plan; or 

5 (II) if a land management plan has 

6 not been established for the Special Man7 agement Area, in a manner consistent with 

8 land that is similarly situated to the land 

9 within the boundaries of the Special Man10 agement Area, as determined by the Sec11 retary of Agriculture. 

12 (B) REVIEW OF POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND

13 REGULATIONS.— 

14 (i) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that the 

15 policies, practices, and regulations of the 

16 Department of Agriculture conform to and 

17 implement the intent of Congress regard18 ing forest fires, not later than 180 days 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

20 Secretary of Agriculture shall review all 

21 policies, practices, and regulations of the 

22 Department of Agriculture applicable to 

23 the Special Management Area that pertain 

24 to forest fires, including the use of modern 

25 methods of fire suppression. 


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1 (ii) REVISION.—On completion of the 

2 review under clause (i), the Secretary of 

3 Agriculture shall revise or develop policies, 

4 practices, and regulations for the Special 

5 Management Area— 

6 (I) to ensure the timely and effi7 cient control of fires in the Special 

8 Management Area; and 

9 (II) to provide, to the maximum 

10 extent practicable, adequate protection 

11 from forest fires to any Federal, 

12 State, or private land adjacent to the 

13 Special Management Area. 

14 (7) TIMBER HARVESTING.—Commercial timber 

15 harvesting shall not be allowed in the Special Man16 agement Area. 

17 (8) WITHDRAWAL.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

19 subparagraph (B), subject to valid rights in ex20 istence on the date of enactment of this Act, 

21 the land within the boundaries of the Special 

22 Management Area is withdrawn from— 

23 (i) location, entry, and patent under 

24 the mining laws; and 


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1 (ii) disposition under all laws relating 

2 to mineral and geothermal leasing. 

3 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of the In4 terior may, with the approval of the Secretary 

5 of Agriculture, lease oil and gas resources with6 in the boundaries of the Special Management 

7 Area if— 

8 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

9 directional drilling from a lease that is out10 side of the Special Management Area; and 

11 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep12 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur13 face disturbance within the Special Man14 agement Area for any activities, including 

15 activities related to exploration, develop16 ment, or production. 

17 (d) RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.— 

18 (1) FINDING.—Congress finds that, for the pur19 poses of section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy 

20 and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)), 

21 any portion of a wilderness study area described in 

22 paragraph (2) that is not designated as wilderness 

23 by this section has been adequately studied for wil24 derness designation. 


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1 (2) DESCRIPTION OF LAND.—The wilderness 

2 study areas referred to in paragraphs (1) and (3) 

3 are— 

4 (A) the Encampment River Canyon Wil5 derness Study Area; 

6 (B) the Prospect Mountain Wilderness 

7 Study Area; and 

8 (C) the Bennett Mountains Wilderness 

9 Study Area. 

10 (3) RELEASE.—Any portion of a wilderness 

11 study area described in paragraph (2) that is not 

12 designated as wilderness by this section is no longer 

13 subject to section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy 

14 and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

15 (4) MANAGEMENT OF RELEASED LAND.— 

16 (A) ENCAMPMENT RIVER CANYON WILDER17 NESS STUDY AREA.—The Director shall manage 

18 the portion of the Encampment River Canyon 

19 Wilderness Study Area released under para20 graph (3) in a manner consistent with a re21 source management plan that is applicable to 

22 any land that— 

23 (i) is adjacent to that released por24 tion; and 


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1 (ii) is not included in the Encamp2 ment River Canyon Wilderness designated 

3 under subsection (a)(1). 

4 (B) PROSPECT MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

5 STUDY AREA.—The portion of the Prospect 

6 Mountain Wilderness Study Area released 

7 under paragraph (3) shall be managed in ac8 cordance with— 

9 (i) the Federal Land Policy and Man10 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 

11 seq.); and 

12 (ii) any other applicable law. 

13 (C) BENNETT MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS

14 STUDY AREA.—The Director shall manage the 

15 portion of the Bennett Mountains Wilderness 

16 Study Area released under paragraph (3) in ac17 cordance with subsection (b). 

18 SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF LAND IN FREMONT AND NATRONA 

19 COUNTIES, WYOMING. 

20 (a) DESIGNATION OF UPPER SWEETWATER CANYON

21 AND LOWER SWEETWATER CANYON WILDERNESS

22 AREAS.— 

23 (1) DESIGNATION.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with the 

25 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the 


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1 land within the boundaries of the Sweetwater 

2 Canyon Wilderness Study Area is designated as 

3 wilderness and, as described in subparagraphs 

4 (B) and (C), as 2 components of the National 

5 Wilderness Preservation System, to be known 

6 as the ‘‘Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness’’ 

7 (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Upper 

8 Wilderness’’) and the ‘‘Lower Sweetwater Can9 yon Wilderness’’ (referred to in this subsection 

10 as the ‘‘Lower Wilderness’’). 

11 (B) UPPER SWEETWATER CANYON WIL12 DERNESS.— 

13 (i) BOUNDARY.— 

14 (I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro15 vided in subclause (II), the boundary 

16 of the Upper Wilderness shall conform 

17 to the boundary of the Sweetwater 

18 Canyon Wilderness Study Area. 

19 (II) EASTERN BOUNDARY.—The 

20 eastern boundary of the Upper Wil21 derness shall be 100 feet from the 

22 western edge of the north-south road 

23 bisecting the Upper Wilderness and 

24 the Lower Wilderness, known as 

25 ‘‘Strawberry Creek Road’’. 


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1 (ii) EXCLUSION OF EXISTING

2 ROADS.—Any established legal route with 

3 authorized motorized use in existence on 

4 the date of enactment of this Act that en5 ters the Upper Wilderness in T. 28 N., R. 

6 98 W., sec. 4, or the Lower Wilderness in 

7 T. 29 N., R. 97 W., sec. 33, is not in8 cluded in the Upper Wilderness. 

9 (C) LOWER SWEETWATER CANYON WIL10 DERNESS.— 

11 (i) BOUNDARY.— 

12 (I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro13 vided in subclauses (II) and (III), the 

14 boundary of the Lower Wilderness 

15 shall conform to the boundary of the 

16 Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness Study 

17 Area. 

18 (II) WESTERN BOUNDARY.—The 

19 western boundary of the Lower Wil20 derness shall be 100 feet from the 

21 eastern edge of the north-south road 

22 bisecting the Upper Wilderness and 

23 the Lower Wilderness, known as 

24 ‘‘Strawberry Creek Road’’. 


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1 (III) NORTHERN BOUNDARY.— 

2 The northern boundary of the Lower 

3 Wilderness shall begin where the bi4 secting road referred to in subclause 

5 (II) enters the Sweetwater Canyon 

6 Wilderness Study Area at the border 

7 of T. 29 N., R. 98 W., sec. 36, and 

8 T. 28 N., R. 98 W., sec. 2, and shall 

9 run east along the boundary of T. 29 

10 N., R. 97 W., sec. 31, to the center11 line of T. 29 N., R. 97 W., sec. 31, 

12 then north along that centerline to the 

13 midpoint of T. 29 N., R. 97 W., sec. 

14 31, then east along that centerline to 

15 the boundary of T. 29 N., R. 97 W., 

16 sec. 32, then following the existing 

17 boundary of the Sweetwater Canyon 

18 Wilderness Study Area to the mid19 point of T. 29 N., R. 97 W., sec. 32, 

20 then east along the centerline of T. 29 

21 N., R. 97 W., secs. 32 and 33, to the 

22 existing boundary of the Sweetwater 

23 Canyon Wilderness Study Area. 

24 (ii) EXCLUSION OF EXISTING

25 ROADS.—Any established legal route with 


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1 authorized motorized use in existence on 

2 the date of enactment of this Act that en3 ters the Upper Wilderness in T. 29 N., R. 

4 98 W., sec. 4, or the Lower Wilderness in 

5 T. 29 N., R. 97 W., sec. 33, is not in6 cluded in the Lower Wilderness. 

7 (2) MANAGEMENT.— 

8 (A) ADMINISTRATION.—Subject to valid 

9 existing rights, the Upper Wilderness and the 

10 Lower Wilderness shall be administered by the 

11 Director in accordance with— 

12 (i) this paragraph; and 

13 (ii) the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

14 1131 et seq.), except that any reference in 

15 that Act to the effective date of that Act 

16 shall be considered to be a reference to the 

17 date of enactment of this Act. 

18 (B) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

19 Upper Wilderness and the Lower Wilderness, 

20 where established before the date of enactment 

21 of this Act, shall be allowed to continue in ac22 cordance with— 

23 (i) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness 

24 Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)); 


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1 (ii) the guidelines set forth in the re2 port of the Committee on Interior and In3 sular Affairs of the House of Representa4 tives accompanying H.R. 5487 of the 96th 

5 Congress (H. Rept. 96–617); and 

6 (iii) the guidelines set forth in appen7 dix A of the Report of the Committee on 

8 Interior and Insular Affairs to accompany 

9 H.R. 2570 of the 101st Congress (H. 

10 Rept. 101–405). 

11 (C) MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING ROADS.— 

12 Necessary maintenance or repairs to any road 

13 described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of para14 graph (1) shall be permitted after the date of 

15 enactment of this Act, consistent with the re16 quirements of this subsection. 

17 (D) RANGE IMPROVEMENTS.—The con18 struction, reconstruction, and maintenance of 

19 range improvements shall be allowed in the 

20 Upper Wilderness and the Lower Wilderness. 

21 (E) BUFFER ZONES.— 

22 (i) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this 

23 paragraph creates a protective perimeter or 

24 buffer zone around the Upper Wilderness 

25 or the Lower Wilderness. 


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1 (ii) ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE WILDERNESS

2 AREAS.—The fact that an activity or use 

3 on land outside the Upper Wilderness or 

4 the Lower Wilderness can be seen or heard 

5 within the Upper Wilderness or the Lower 

6 Wilderness, respectively, shall not preclude 

7 the activity or use outside the boundary of 

8 the Upper Wilderness or the Lower Wil9 derness. 

10 (3) RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREA.— 

11 Congress finds that, for the purposes of section 

12 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management 

13 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land within 

14 the Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness Study Area not 

15 designated as wilderness by this subsection has been 

16 adequately studied for wilderness designation and is 

17 no longer subject to section 603(c) of the Federal 

18 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

19 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

20 (b) DESIGNATION OF SWEETWATER ROCKS SPECIAL

21 MANAGEMENT AREA.— 

22 (1) DESIGNATION.—The land within the 

23 Lankin Dome, Split Rock, Savage Peak, and Miller 

24 Springs Wilderness Study Areas is designated as the 

25 ‘‘Sweetwater Rocks Special Management Area’’ (reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 ferred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Special Manage2 ment Area’’). 

3 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Manage4 ment Area shall be administered by the Director in 

5 a manner that protects— 

6 (A) valid existing rights; 

7 (B) agricultural uses; 

8 (C) primitive recreational opportunities; 

9 and 

10 (D) natural, historic, and scenic resources. 

11 (3) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

13 subparagraph (B), the use of motorized vehicles 

14 in the Special Management Area shall be al15 lowed only on established legal routes with au16 thorized motorized use existing on the date of 

17 enactment of this Act. 

18 (B) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding sub19 paragraph (A), the use of motorized vehicles 

20 may be allowed in the Special Management 

21 Area for the construction, reconstruction, or 

22 maintenance of necessary infrastructure, as de23 termined by the Director. 

24 (4) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the Spe25 cial Management Area shall be administered in acVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 cordance with the laws generally applicable to land 

2 under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

3 (5) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN OVERHEAD TOW4 ERS.—No new overhead transmission or communica5 tions tower shall be constructed in the Special Man6 agement Area. 

7 (6) UNDERGROUND RIGHTS-OF-WAY.—The Di8 rector may expand any underground right-of-way in 

9 the Special Management Area that exists as of the 

10 date of enactment of this Act. 

11 (7) BUFFER ZONES.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this sub13 section creates a protective perimeter or buffer 

14 zone around the Special Management Area. 

15 (B) ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE SPECIAL MAN16 AGEMENT AREA.—The fact that an activity or 

17 use on land outside the Special Management 

18 Area can be seen or heard within the Special 

19 Management Area shall not preclude the activ20 ity or use outside the boundary of the Special 

21 Management Area. 

22 (8) LAND EXCHANGES AND EASEMENTS.— 

23 (A) LAND EXCHANGES.— 

24 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Director may 

25 propose to, and carry out with, an indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 vidual or entity owning land in the vicinity 

2 of the Special Management Area any land 

3 exchange that— 

4 (I) increases access to the Special 

5 Management Area; and 

6 (II) does not result in a net loss 

7 of Federal land. 

8 (ii) PROCESS.—The Director may 

9 carry out clause (i)— 

10 (I) through the use of existing 

11 processes; or 

12 (II) by establishing a process for 

13 proposing and carrying out land ex14 changes under that clause. 

15 (B) EASEMENTS.—Notwithstanding any 

16 other provision of law, the Director may acquire 

17 from an individual or entity owning land in the 

18 vicinity of the Special Management Area an 

19 easement for the purpose of increasing access 

20 to the Special Management Area. 

21 (9) WITHDRAWALS.— 

22 (A) MINING, MINERAL, AND GEOTHERMAL

23 WITHDRAWAL.— 

24 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

25 in clause (ii), subject to valid rights in exVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 istence on the date of enactment of this 

2 Act, the land within the boundaries of the 

3 Special Management Area is withdrawn 

4 from— 

5 (I) location, entry, and patent 

6 under the mining laws; and 

7 (II) disposition under all laws re8 lating to mineral and geothermal leas9 ing. 

10 (ii) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of 

11 the Interior may lease oil and gas re12 sources within the boundaries of the Spe13 cial Management Area if— 

14 (I) the lease may only be 

15 accessed by directional drilling from a 

16 lease that is outside of the Special 

17 Management Area; and 

18 (II) the lease prohibits, without 

19 exception or waiver, surface occupancy 

20 and surface disturbance within the 

21 Special Management Area for any ac22 tivities, including activities related to 

23 exploration, development, or produc24 tion. 


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1 (B) WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY WITH2 DRAWAL.—Subject to valid rights in existence 

3 on the date of enactment of this Act, the land 

4 within the boundaries of the Special Manage5 ment Area is withdrawn from right-of-way leas6 ing and disposition under all laws relating to 

7 wind or solar energy. 

8 (10) RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY

9 AREAS.—Congress finds that, for the purposes of 

10 section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Man11 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land 

12 within the Lankin Dome, Split Rock, Savage Peak, 

13 and Miller Springs Wilderness Study Areas has been 

14 adequately studied for wilderness designation and is 

15 no longer subject to section 603(c) of the Federal 

16 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

17 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

18 (c) RELEASE OF THE DUBOIS BADLANDS WILDER19 NESS STUDY AREA.— 

20 (1) DIVISION.—The Director shall divide the 

21 land within the Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study 

22 Area by installing a fence, or repairing or relocating 

23 an existing fence, in T. 41 N., R. 106 W., sec. 5, 

24 that— 


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1 (A) follows existing infrastructure and nat2 ural barriers; 

3 (B) begins at an intersection with North 

Mountain View Road in the NE1⁄4NW1 4 ⁄4 sec. 5, 

5 T. 41 N., R. 106 W.; 

6 (C) from the point described in subpara7 graph (B), proceeds southeast to a point near 

the midpoint of the NE1 8 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 41 N., R. 

9 106 W.; and 

10 (D) from the point described in subpara11 graph (C), proceeds southwest to a point in the 

SW1⁄4NE1 12 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 41 N., R. 106 W., that 

13 intersects with the boundary of the Dubois 

14 Badlands Wilderness Study Area. 

15 (2) DUBOIS MOTORIZED RECREATION AREA.— 

16 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab17 lished the Dubois Motorized Recreation Area 

18 (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘‘Recre19 ation Area’’) in the State, to be managed by the 

20 Director. 

21 (B) AREA INCLUDED.—The Recreation 

22 Area shall consist of— 

23 (i) any land within the boundaries of 

24 the Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study 


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1 Area that is west of the fence described in 

2 paragraph (1); and 

3 (ii) any Federal land in T. 41 N., R. 

4 106 W., secs. 5 and 6 that— 

5 (I) is managed by the Bureau; 

6 and 

7 (II) is west of North Mountain 

8 View Road. 

9 (C) MANAGEMENT.— 

10 (i) BOUNDARY FENCE.— 

11 (I) IN GENERAL.—The Director 

12 shall construct a fence along the west13 ern boundary of the Recreation Area 

14 on any land that— 

15 (aa) is managed by the Bu16 reau; and 

17 (bb) is west of North Moun18 tain View Road. 

19 (II) COORDINATION.—In design20 ing, locating, and constructing the 

21 fence described in subclause (I), the 

22 Director shall coordinate with the 

23 owners of any land adjacent to the 

24 land described in that subclause. 


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1 (ii) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—As 

2 soon as practicable after the date of com3 pletion of the fence described in clause (i), 

4 the Director shall establish a travel man5 agement plan for the Recreation Area to 

6 maximize the use of motorized off-road ve7 hicles in the Recreation Area. 

8 (3) DUBOIS BADLANDS NATIONAL CONSERVA9 TION AREA.— 

10 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab11 lished the Dubois Badlands National Conserva12 tion Area (referred to in this paragraph as the 

13 ‘‘Conservation Area’’) in the State, to be man14 aged by the Director. 

15 (B) AREA INCLUDED.—The Conservation 

16 Area shall consist of any land within the bound17 aries of the Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study 

18 Area that is east of the fence described in para19 graph (1). 

20 (C) MANAGEMENT.— 

21 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

22 manage the Conservation Area in a man23 ner that protects— 

24 (I) valid existing rights; 

25 (II) agricultural uses; 


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1 (III) primitive recreational oppor2 tunities; and 

3 (IV) natural, historic, and scenic 

4 resources. 

5 (D) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

6 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

7 in clause (ii), the use of motorized vehicles 

8 in the Conservation Area shall not be al9 lowed. 

10 (ii) EXCEPTIONS.—The Director may 

11 allow the use of motorized vehicles in the 

12 Conservation Area for— 

13 (I) habitat improvement; 

14 (II) the construction, reconstruc15 tion, or maintenance of range im16 provements; and 

17 (III) to respond to an emergency. 

18 (E) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

19 Conservation Area shall be administered in ac20 cordance with the laws generally applicable to 

21 land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

22 (F) RIGHTS-OF-WAY.—No major right-of23 way shall be allowed within the boundaries of 

24 the Conservation Area. 

25 (G) WITHDRAWAL.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid 

2 rights in existence on the date of enact3 ment of this Act, the land within the 

4 boundaries of the Conservation Area is 

5 withdrawn from— 

6 (I) location, entry, and patent 

7 under the mining laws; and 

8 (II) disposition under all laws re9 lating to mineral and geothermal leas10 ing. 

11 (4) RELEASE.—Congress finds that, for the 

12 purposes of section 603(c) of the Federal Land Pol13 icy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

14 1782(c)), the land within the Dubois Badlands Wil15 derness Study Area has been adequately studied for 

16 wilderness designation and is no longer subject to 

17 section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Man18 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

19 (d) RELEASE OF CERTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY

20 AREAS.— 

21 (1) COPPER MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY

22 AREA.— 

23 (A) RELEASE.—Congress finds that, for 

24 the purposes of section 603(c) of the Federal 

25 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 


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1 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land within the Copper 

2 Mountain Wilderness Study Area— 

3 (i) has been adequately studied for 

4 wilderness designation; 

5 (ii) is no longer subject to section 

6 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and 

7 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

8 1782(c)); and 

9 (iii) shall be managed in accordance 

10 with this paragraph. 

11 (B) MANAGEMENT OF RELEASED LAND.— 

12 (i) IN GENERAL.—The land described 

13 in subparagraph (A) shall be administered 

14 by the Director in accordance with the 

15 laws generally applicable to land under the 

16 jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

17 (ii) MINERAL LEASING.— 

18 (I) IN GENERAL.—Subject to 

19 surface occupancy requirements and 

20 any other provision of law, the Direc21 tor may enter mineral leases for any 

22 land described in subparagraph (A) 

23 that has a slope of less than 25 per24 cent. 


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1 (II) UNDERGROUND RIGHTS-OF2 WAY.—The Director may grant under3 ground rights-of-way for any mineral 

4 lease entered into under subclause (I). 

5 (iii) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN

6 LEASES.—Subject to valid rights in exist7 ence on the date of enactment of this Act, 

8 the Director shall not issue a new lease for 

9 a wind or solar project, an overhead trans10 mission line, or a communication tower on 

11 the land described in subparagraph (A). 

12 (C) AUTHORITY TO EXCHANGE LAND.—In 

13 carrying out any land exchange involving any of 

14 the land described in subparagraph (A), the Di15 rector shall ensure that the exchange does not 

16 result in a net loss of Federal land. 

17 (2) WHISKEY MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY

18 AREA.— 

19 (A) RELEASE.—Congress finds that, for 

20 the purposes of section 603(c) of the Federal 

21 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

22 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land within the Whiskey 

23 Mountain Wilderness Study Area— 

24 (i) has been adequately studied for 

25 wilderness designation; 


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1 (ii) is no longer subject to section 

2 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and 

3 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

4 1782(c)); and 

5 (iii) shall be managed in accordance 

6 with this paragraph. 

7 (B) MANAGEMENT OF RELEASED LAND.— 

8 The land described in subparagraph (A) shall 

9 be administered by the Director in accordance 

10 with— 

11 (i) a resource management plan that 

12 is applicable to any land adjacent to the 

13 land described in subparagraph (A); and 

14 (ii) the Whiskey Mountain Coopera15 tive Agreement between the Wyoming 

16 Game and Fish Commission, the Forest 

17 Service, and the Bureau, including any 

18 amendment to that agreement relating to 

19 the management of bighorn sheep. 

20 (e) MANAGEMENT OF LAND IN FREMONT COUNTY, 

21 WYOMING.— 

22 (1) DEFINITION OF COUNTY.—In this sub23 section, the term ‘‘County’’ means Fremont County, 

24 Wyoming. 


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1 (2) LANDER SLOPE AND RED CANYON AREAS

2 OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN.— 

3 (A) TRANSFERS.—The Director shall pur4 sue transfers in which land managed by the Bu5 reau in the County is exchanged for land owned 

6 by the State that is within the boundaries of— 

7 (i) the Lander Slope Area of Critical 

8 Environmental Concern; or 

9 (ii) the Red Canyon Area of Critical 

10 Environmental Concern. 

11 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—A transfer under 

12 subparagraph (A) shall— 

13 (i) comply with all requirements of 

14 law, including any required analysis; and 

15 (ii) be subject to appropriation. 

16 (3) STUDY.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

18 carry out a study to evaluate the potential for 

19 the development of special motorized recreation 

20 areas in the County. 

21 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The study under 

22 subparagraph (A) shall evaluate— 

23 (i) the potential for the development 

24 of special motorized recreation areas on all 


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1 land managed by the Bureau in the Coun2 ty except— 

3 (I) T. 40 N., R. 94 W., secs. 15, 

4 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 

and the N1 5 ⁄2 sec. 34; and 

6 (II) any land that is subject to a 

7 restriction on the use of off-road vehi8 cles under any Federal law, including 

9 this Act; 

10 (ii) the suitability of the land for off11 road vehicles, including rock crawlers; and 

12 (iii) the parking, staging, and camp13 ing necessary to accommodate special mo14 torized recreation. 

15 (C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director 

17 shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 

18 Natural Resources of the Senate and the Com19 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of 

20 Representatives a report describing the findings 

21 of the study under subparagraph (A). 

22 (4) FREMONT COUNTY IMPLEMENTATION

23 TEAM.— 

24 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 

25 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 


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1 the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a 

2 team, to be known as the ‘‘Fremont County Im3 plementation Team’’ (referred to in this para4 graph as the ‘‘Team’’) to advise and assist the 

5 Director with respect to the implementation of 

6 the management requirements described in this 

7 section that are applicable to land in the Coun8 ty. 

9 (B) MEMBERSHIP.—The team shall consist 

10 of— 

11 (i) the Secretary of the Interior (or a 

12 designee of the Secretary of the Interior); 

13 and 

14 (ii) 1 or more individuals appointed by 

15 the Board of County Commissioners of the 

16 County. 

17 (C) NONAPPLICABILITY OF THE FEDERAL

18 ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The team shall 

19 not be subject to the requirements of chapter 

20 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly re21 ferred to as the ‘‘Federal Advisory Committee 

22 Act’’). 

23 SEC. 5. DESIGNATION OF LAND IN JOHNSON AND CAMP24 BELL COUNTIES, WYOMING. 

25 (a) DESIGNATIONS.— 


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1 (1) FORTIFICATION CREEK MANAGEMENT

2 AREA.—The land within the Fortification Creek Wil3 derness Study Area is designated as the ‘‘Fortifica4 tion Creek Management Area’’. 

5 (2) FRAKER MOUNTAIN MANAGEMENT AREA.— 

6 The land within the Gardner Mountain Wilderness 

7 Study Area is designated as the ‘‘Fraker Mountain 

8 Management Area’’. 

9 (3) NORTH FORK MANAGEMENT AREA.—The 

10 land within the North Fork Wilderness Study Area 

11 is designated as the ‘‘North Fork Management 

12 Area’’. 

13 (b) MANAGEMENT.— 

14 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The management areas 

15 designated by subsection (a) (referred to in this sub16 section as the ‘‘Management Areas’’) shall be admin17 istered by the Director in a manner that— 

18 (A) promotes nonmotorized backcountry 

19 recreation, including hunting; and 

20 (B) supports ongoing projects to maintain 

21 and improve— 

22 (i) wildlife habitat; 

23 (ii) forest health; 

24 (iii) watershed protection; and 

25 (iv) ecological and cultural values. 


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1 (2) ROADS.— 

2 (A) PROHIBITION ON NEW PERMANENT

3 ROADS.—The construction of new permanent 

4 roads in the Management Areas shall not be al5 lowed. 

6 (B) TEMPORARY ROADS.—The Secretary 

7 of the Interior may authorize the construction 

8 of new temporary roads in the Management 

9 Areas— 

10 (i) for— 

11 (I) fire suppression; 

12 (II) forest health and restoration; 

13 (III) weed and pest control; 

14 (IV) habitat management; 

15 (V) livestock management; or 

16 (VI) the construction, reconstruc17 tion, or maintenance of a range im18 provement; or 

19 (ii) to respond to an emergency. 

20 (3) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

22 subparagraph (B), the use of motorized or 

23 mechanized vehicles in the Management Areas 

24 shall not be allowed. 


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1 (B) EXCEPTIONS.—The Director may 

2 allow the use of motorized or mechanized vehi3 cles in the Management Areas— 

4 (i) for— 

5 (I) fire suppression; 

6 (II) forest health and restoration; 

7 (III) weed and pest control; 

8 (IV) habitat management; 

9 (V) livestock management; or 

10 (VI) the construction, reconstruc11 tion, or maintenance of a range im12 provement; or 

13 (ii) to respond to an emergency. 

14 (4) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the Man15 agement Areas shall be administered in accordance 

16 with the laws generally applicable to land under the 

17 jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

18 (5) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN INFRASTRUC19 TURE.—The development, construction, or installa20 tion of infrastructure for recreational use shall not 

21 be allowed in— 

22 (A) the Fraker Mountain Management 

23 Area; or 

24 (B) the North Fork Management Area. 

25 (6) WITHDRAWAL.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 subparagraph (B), subject to valid rights in ex3 istence on the date of enactment of this Act, 

4 the land within the boundaries of the Manage5 ment Areas is withdrawn from— 

6 (i) location, entry, and patent under 

7 the mining laws; and 

8 (ii) disposition under all laws relating 

9 to mineral and geothermal leasing. 

10 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of the In11 terior may lease oil and gas resources within 

12 the boundaries of a management area des13 ignated by paragraph (1) if— 

14 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

15 directional drilling from a lease that is out16 side of the management area; and 

17 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep18 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur19 face disturbance within the management 

20 area for any activities, including activities 

21 related to exploration, development, or pro22 duction. 

23 (7) RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.— 

24 Congress finds that, for the purposes of section 

25 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management 


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1 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land within 

2 the Fortification Creek Wilderness Study Area, the 

3 Gardner Mountain Wilderness Study Area, and the 

4 North Fork Wilderness Study Area has been ade5 quately studied for wilderness designation and is no 

6 longer subject to section 603(c) of the Federal Land 

7 Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

8 1782(c)). 

9 SEC. 6. DESIGNATION OF LAND IN WASHAKIE AND HOT 

10 SPRINGS COUNTIES, WYOMING. 

11 (a) DESIGNATION OF BOBCAT DRAW WILDER12 NESS.— 

13 (1) DESIGNATION.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with the 

15 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the 

16 approximately 6,200 acres of land within the 

17 Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study Area described 

18 in subparagraph (B) is designated as wilderness 

19 and as a component of the National Wilderness 

20 Preservation System, to be known as the ‘‘Bob21 cat Draw Wilderness’’ (referred to in this sub22 section as the ‘‘Wilderness’’). 

23 (B) INCLUDED LAND.—The Wilderness 

24 shall consist of— 


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1 (i) in T. 48 N., R. 97 W., secs. 2, 3, 

2 10, 11, 15, 22, 23, 26, and 27, any land 

3 in the Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study 

4 Area that is in Washakie County, Wyo5 ming; 

6 (ii) in T. 48 N., R. 97 W., sec. 4, the 

7 land in— 

(I) the E1⁄2SE1 8 ⁄4; 

9 (II) lots 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14 

of the NE1 10 ⁄4; 

(III) the east 1 11 ⁄2 of lot 10 of the 

NW1 12 ⁄4; and 

(IV) the northeast 1 13 ⁄4 of lot 15 of 

the NW1 14 ⁄4; 

15 (iii) in T. 48 N., R. 97 W., sec. 9, the 

16 land in— 

(I) the E1⁄2NE1 17 ⁄4; 

(II) the SW1⁄4NE1 18 ⁄4; 

(III) the E1⁄2NW1⁄4NE1 19 ⁄4; 

(IV) the SE1⁄4SE1⁄4NW1 20 ⁄4; 

(V) the SE1 21 ⁄4; 

(VI) the E1⁄2NE1⁄4SW1 22 ⁄4; 

(VII) the SW1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1 23 ⁄4; 

(VIII) the SE1⁄4SW1 24 ⁄4; and 

(IX) the E1⁄2SW1⁄4SW1 25 ⁄4; 


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1 (iv) in T. 48 N., R. 97 W., sec. 14, 

2 the land in— 

(I) the W1 3 ⁄2; 

(II) the W1⁄2NE1 4 ⁄4; 

(III) the W1⁄2SE1 5 ⁄4; and 

(IV) the SE1⁄4SE1 6 ⁄4; 

7 (v) in T. 48 N., R. 97 W., sec. 21, the 

8 land in— 

(I) the NE1 9 ⁄4; 

(II) the E1⁄2NE1⁄4NW1 10 ⁄4; 

(III) the E1⁄2SE1⁄4NW1 11 ⁄4; 

(IV) the E1⁄2NE1⁄4SW1 12 ⁄4; 

13 (V) that part of the 

E1⁄2SE1⁄4SW1 14 ⁄4 within the boundary 

15 of the Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study 

16 Area; and 

(VI) that part of the SE1 17 ⁄4 within 

18 the boundary of the Bobcat Draw 

19 Wilderness Study Area; and 

20 (vi) in T. 48 N., R. 97 W., sec. 24, 

21 the land in— 

(I) the W1⁄2NW1 22 ⁄4; and 

(II) that part of the NW1⁄4SW1 23 ⁄4

24 within the boundary of the Bobcat 

25 Draw Wilderness Study Area. 


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1 (2) MANAGEMENT.— 

2 (A) ADMINISTRATION.—Subject to valid 

3 existing rights, the Wilderness shall be adminis4 tered by the Director in accordance with— 

5 (i) this paragraph; and 

6 (ii) the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

7 1131 et seq.), except that any reference in 

8 that Act to the effective date of that Act 

9 shall be considered to be a reference to the 

10 date of enactment of this Act. 

11 (B) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

12 Wilderness, where established before the date of 

13 enactment of this Act, shall be allowed to con14 tinue in accordance with— 

15 (i) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness 

16 Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)); 

17 (ii) the guidelines set forth in the re18 port of the Committee on Interior and In19 sular Affairs of the House of Representa20 tives accompanying H.R. 5487 of the 96th 

21 Congress (H. Rept. 96–617); and 

22 (iii) the guidelines set forth in appen23 dix A of the Report of the Committee on 

24 Interior and Insular Affairs to accompany 


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1 H.R. 2570 of the 101st Congress (H. 

2 Rept. 101–405). 

3 (C) REVIEW OF POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND

4 REGULATIONS.— 

5 (i) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that the 

6 policies, practices, and regulations of the 

7 Department conform to and implement the 

8 intent of Congress regarding forest fires 

9 and the outbreak of disease or insects, not 

10 later than 180 days after the date of en11 actment of this Act, the Secretary of the 

12 Interior shall review all policies, practices, 

13 and regulations of the Department applica14 ble to the Wilderness that pertain to— 

15 (I) forest fires, including the use 

16 of modern methods of fire suppression 

17 (including mechanical activity, as nec18 essary); or 

19 (II) the outbreak of disease or in20 sect populations. 

21 (ii) REVISIONS.—On completion of the 

22 review under clause (i), the Secretary of 

23 the Interior shall revise or develop policies, 

24 practices, and regulations for the Wilder25 ness— 


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1 (I) to ensure the timely and effi2 cient control of fires, diseases, and in3 sects in the Wilderness; and 

4 (II) to provide, to the maximum 

5 extent practicable, adequate protection 

6 from forest fires, disease outbreaks, 

7 and insect infestations to any Federal, 

8 State, or private land adjacent to the 

9 Wilderness. 

10 (3) RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREA.— 

11 (A) RELEASE.—Congress finds that, for 

12 the purposes of section 603(c) of the Federal 

13 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

14 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land within the Bobcat 

15 Draw Wilderness Study Area not designated as 

16 wilderness by this subsection has been ade17 quately studied for wilderness designation and 

18 is no longer subject to section 603(c) of the 

19 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

20 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

21 (B) CLASSIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT

22 OF RELEASED LAND.— 

23 (i) CLASSIFICATION.—The Director 

24 shall designate the land described in subVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 paragraph (A) as visual resource manage2 ment class II. 

3 (ii) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock 

4 on the land described in subparagraph (A) 

5 shall be administered— 

6 (I) as a nondiscretionary use; 

7 and 

8 (II) in accordance with the laws 

9 generally applicable to land under the 

10 jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

11 (C) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

12 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 

13 years after the date of enactment of this 

14 Act, the Director shall develop a travel 

15 management plan for the land described in 

16 subparagraph (A). 

17 (ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The travel 

18 management plan under clause (i) shall— 

19 (I) identify all existing roads and 

20 trails on the land described in sub21 paragraph (A); 

22 (II) designate each road or trail 

23 available for— 

24 (aa) motorized or mecha25 nized recreation; or 


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1 (bb) agriculture practices; 

2 (III) prohibit the construction of 

3 any new road or trail for motorized or 

4 mechanized recreation use; and 

5 (IV) permit the continued use of 

6 nonmotorized trails. 

7 (D) WITHDRAWAL.— 

8 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

9 in clause (ii), subject to valid rights in ex10 istence on the date of enactment of this 

11 Act, the land described in subparagraph 

12 (A) is withdrawn from— 

13 (I) location, entry, and patent 

14 under the mining laws; and 

15 (II) disposition under all laws re16 lating to mineral and geothermal leas17 ing. 

18 (ii) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of 

19 the Interior may lease oil and gas re20 sources within the land described in sub21 paragraph (A) if— 

22 (I) the lease may only be 

23 accessed by directional drilling from a 

24 lease that is outside of the land de25 scribed in subparagraph (A); and 


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1 (II) the lease prohibits, without 

2 exception or waiver, surface occupancy 

3 and surface disturbance on the land 

4 described in subparagraph (A) for any 

5 activities, including activities related 

6 to exploration, development, or pro7 duction. 

8 (b) DESIGNATION OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN SPECIAL

9 MANAGEMENT AREA.— 

10 (1) DESIGNATION.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

12 subparagraph (B), the land within the Cedar 

13 Mountain Wilderness Study Area is designated 

14 as the ‘‘Cedar Mountain Special Management 

15 Area’’ (referred to in this subsection as the 

16 ‘‘Special Management Area’’). 

17 (B) EXCLUDED LAND.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—The land described 

19 in clause (ii) is not included in the Special 

20 Management Area. 

21 (ii) LAND DESCRIBED.—The land re22 ferred to in clause (i) is the land des23 ignated by the Bureau as not suitable for 

24 wilderness in— 


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(I) the NE1⁄4NW1 1 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 44 

2 N., R. 94 W; 

(II) the NE1⁄4SE1 3 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 44 

4 N., R. 94 W; 

(III) the SW1⁄4NE1 5 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 

6 44 N., R. 94 W; and 

(IV) the SW1⁄4SW1 7 ⁄4 sec. 32, T. 

8 45 N., R. 94 W. 

9 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Manage10 ment Area shall be administered by the Director in 

11 a manner that— 

12 (A) maintains the recreational, scenic, cul13 tural, ecological, wildlife, and livestock produc14 tion values of the Special Management Area; 

15 and 

16 (B) promotes continued use of the Special 

17 Management Area for recreational activities, in18 cluding hunting and wildlife viewing. 

19 (3) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

21 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di22 rector shall develop a travel management plan 

23 for the Special Management Area. 

24 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The travel manage25 ment plan under subparagraph (A) shall— 


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1 (i) identify all existing roads and 

2 trails in the Special Management Area; 

3 (ii) designate each road or trail avail4 able for— 

5 (I) motorized or mechanized 

6 recreation; or 

7 (II) agriculture practices; 

8 (iii) prohibit the construction of any 

9 new road or trail for motorized or mecha10 nized recreation use; and 

11 (iv) permit the continued use of non12 motorized trails. 

13 (4) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

14 (A) USE OF MOTORIZED VEHICLES FOR

15 LIVESTOCK.—The use of motorized vehicles 

16 shall be allowed on any road in the Special 

17 Management Area for— 

18 (i) the construction, reconstruction, or 

19 maintenance of range improvements; or 

20 (ii) other livestock-management pur21 poses. 

22 (B) USE OF MOTORIZED VEHICLES FOR

23 EMERGENCIES.—The use of motorized vehicles 

24 shall be allowed in the Special Management 

25 Area— 


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1 (i) for fire suppression; 

2 (ii) for weed and pest management; 

3 and 

4 (iii) to respond to an emergency. 

5 (5) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the Spe6 cial Management Area shall be administered— 

7 (A) as a nondiscretionary use; and 

8 (B) in accordance with the laws generally 

9 applicable to land under the jurisdiction of the 

10 Bureau. 

11 (6) WITHDRAWAL.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

13 subparagraph (B), subject to valid rights in ex14 istence on the date of enactment of this Act, 

15 the land within the boundaries of the Special 

16 Management Area is withdrawn from— 

17 (i) location, entry, and patent under 

18 the mining laws; and 

19 (ii) disposition under all laws relating 

20 to mineral and geothermal leasing. 

21 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary of the In22 terior may lease oil and gas resources within 

23 the boundaries of the Special Management Area 

24 if— 


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1 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

2 directional drilling from a lease that is out3 side of the Special Management Area; and 

4 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep5 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur6 face disturbance within the Special Man7 agement Area for any activities, including 

8 activities related to exploration, develop9 ment, or production. 

10 (7) RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREA.— 

11 (A) RELEASE.—Congress finds that, for 

12 the purposes of section 603(c) of the Federal 

13 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

14 U.S.C. 1782(c)), the land within the Cedar 

15 Mountain Wilderness Study Area has been ade16 quately studied for wilderness designation and 

17 is no longer subject to section 603(c) of the 

18 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

19 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

20 (B) MANAGEMENT OF CERTAIN RELEASED

21 LAND.—The Director shall manage any land 

22 described in subparagraph (A) that is not in23 cluded in the Special Management Area in a 

24 manner consistent with a resource management 

25 plan that is applicable to any land that— 


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1 (i) is managed by the Bureau; and 

2 (ii) is similarly situated to the land 

3 described in subparagraph (A) that is not 

4 included in the Special Management Area. 

5 (c) RELEASE OF HONEYCOMBS WILDERNESS STUDY

6 AREA.— 

7 (1) RELEASE.—Congress finds that, for the 

8 purposes of section 603(c) of the Federal Land Pol9 icy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

10 1782(c)), the land within the Honeycombs Wilder11 ness Study Area— 

12 (A) has been adequately studied for wilder13 ness designation; 

14 (B) is no longer subject to section 603(c) 

15 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 

16 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)); and 

17 (C) shall be managed in accordance with 

18 this subsection. 

19 (2) MANAGEMENT OF RELEASED LAND.—The 

20 land described in paragraph (1) shall be adminis21 tered by the Director in accordance with— 

22 (A) the Federal Land Policy and Manage23 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and 


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1 (B) a resource management plan that is 

2 applicable to any land adjacent to the land de3 scribed in paragraph (1). 

4 (d) STUDY OF LAND IN HOT SPRINGS AND

5 WASHAKIE COUNTIES.— 

6 (1) DEFINITION OF COUNTIES.—In this sub7 section, the term ‘‘Counties’’ means each of the fol8 lowing counties in the State: 

9 (A) Hot Springs County. 

10 (B) Washakie County. 

11 (2) STUDY.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

13 carry out a study to evaluate the potential for 

14 the development of new special motorized recre15 ation areas in the Counties. 

16 (B) REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 (i) LAND INCLUDED.—The study 

18 under subparagraph (A) shall evaluate the 

19 potential for the development of new spe20 cial motorized recreation areas on all land 

21 managed by the Bureau in the Counties 

22 except any land that is subject to a restric23 tion on the use of motorized or mechanized 

24 vehicles under any Federal law, including 

25 this Act. 


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1 (ii) PUBLIC INPUT; COLLABORA2 TION.—In carrying out the study under 

3 subparagraph (A), the Director shall— 

4 (I) offer opportunities for public 

5 input; and 

6 (II) collaborate with— 

7 (aa) Wyoming Parks, His8 toric Sites, and Trails; and 

9 (bb) the Counties. 

10 (C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director 

12 shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 

13 Natural Resources of the Senate and the Com14 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of 

15 Representatives a report describing the findings 

16 of the study under subparagraph (A). 

17 SEC. 7. APPLICATION OF BLM RULE. 

18 The proposed rule of the Bureau entitled ‘‘Conserva19 tion and Landscape Health’’ (88 Fed. Reg. 19583 (April 

20 3, 2023)) or any substantially similar rule shall not apply 

21 to the land covered by this Act. 

22 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

23 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wyoming Public Lands 

24 Initiative Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) BUREAU.—The term ‘‘Bureau’’ means the 

4 Bureau of Land Management. 

5 (2) RANGE IMPROVEMENT.—The term ‘‘range 

6 improvement’’ has the meaning given the term in sec7 tion 3 of the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 

8 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1902). 

9 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

10 the Secretary of the Interior. 

11 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

12 of Wyoming. 

13 (5) WILDERNESS AREA.—The term ‘‘wilderness 

14 area’’ means a wilderness area designated by section 

15 3. 

16 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS. 

17 In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 

18 et seq.), the following areas in the State are designated as 

19 wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness 

20 Preservation System: 

21 (1) ENCAMPMENT RIVER CANYON WILDERNESS.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Certain Federal land 

23 administered by the Bureau in the State, com24 prising approximately 4,523.84 acres, as gen25 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed 

26 Encampment River Wilderness’’ and dated DeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 cember 5, 2023, which shall be known as the 

2 ‘‘Encampment River Canyon Wilderness’’. 

3 (B) EXCLUDED LAND.—The following land 

4 is not included in the Encampment River Can5 yon Wilderness: 

(i) Any land in the NW1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1 6 ⁄4

7 sec. 24, T. 14 N., R. 84 W. 

8 (ii) Any land within 100 feet of the 

9 centerline of— 

10 (I) County Road 353; or 

11 (II) Water Valley Road. 

12 (2) PROSPECT MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Certain Federal land 

14 administered by the Bureau in the State, com15 prising approximately 1,099.76 acres, as gen16 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed 

17 Prospect Mountain Wilderness’’ and dated De18 cember 8, 2023, which shall be known as the 

19 ‘‘Prospect Mountain Wilderness’’. 

20 (B) EXCLUDED LAND.—Any land within 

21 100 feet of the centerline of Prospect Road is not 

22 included in the Prospect Mountain Wilderness. 

23 (3) UPPER SWEETWATER CANYON WILDER24 NESS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Certain Federal land 

2 administered by the Bureau in the State, com3 prising approximately 2,877.35 acres, as gen4 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed 

5 Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness’’ and 

6 dated December 6, 2023, which shall be known as 

7 the ‘‘Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness’’. 

8 (B) BOUNDARY.— 

9 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

10 in clause (ii), the boundary of the Upper 

11 Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness shall con12 form to the boundary of the Sweetwater 

13 Canyon Wilderness Study Area. 

14 (ii) EASTERN BOUNDARY.—The eastern 

15 boundary of the Upper Sweetwater Canyon 

16 Wilderness shall be 100 feet from the west17 ern edge of the north-south road bisecting 

18 the Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness 

19 and the Lower Sweetwater Canyon Wilder20 ness, known as ‘‘Strawberry Creek Road’’. 

21 (iii) EXCLUSION OF EXISTING

22 ROADS.—Any established legal route with 

23 authorized motorized use in existence on the 

24 date of enactment of this Act that enters the 

25 Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness in T. 


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1 28 N., R. 98 W., sec. 4, or the Lower Sweet2 water Canyon Wilderness in T. 29 N., R. 97 

3 W., sec. 33, is not included in the Upper 

4 Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness. 

5 (4) LOWER SWEETWATER CANYON WILDER6 NESS.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Certain Federal land 

8 administered by the Bureau in the State, com9 prising approximately 5,665.19 acres, as gen10 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Lower 

11 Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness’’ and dated De12 cember 5, 2023, which shall be known as the 

13 ‘‘Lower Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness’’. 

14 (B) BOUNDARY.— 

15 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

16 in clause (ii), the boundary of the Lower 

17 Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness shall con18 form to the boundary of the Sweetwater 

19 Canyon Wilderness Study Area. 

20 (ii) WESTERN BOUNDARY.—The west21 ern boundary of the Lower Sweetwater Can22 yon Wilderness shall be 100 feet from the 

23 eastern edge of the north-south road bisect24 ing the Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilder25 ness and the Lower Sweetwater Canyon 


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1 Wilderness, known as ‘‘Strawberry Creek 

2 Road’’. 

3 (iii) EXCLUSION OF EXISTING

4 ROADS.—Any established legal route with 

5 authorized motorized use in existence on the 

6 date of enactment of this Act that enters the 

7 Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness in T. 

8 29 N., R. 98 W., sec. 4, or the Lower Sweet9 water Canyon Wilderness in T. 29 N., R. 97 

10 W., sec. 33, is not included in the Lower 

11 Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness. 

12 (5) BOBCAT DRAW WILDERNESS.—Certain Fed13 eral land administered by the Bureau in the State, 

14 comprising approximately 6,246.84 acres, as gen15 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Bobcat 

16 Draw Wilderness’’ and dated December 8, 2023, 

17 which shall be known as the ‘‘Bobcat Draw Wilder18 ness’’. 

19 SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, the 

21 Secretary shall administer the wilderness areas in accord22 ance with this section and the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

23 1131 et seq.), except that— 


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1 (1) any reference in that Act to the effective date 

2 of that Act shall be considered to be a reference to the 

3 date of enactment of this Act; and 

4 (2) any reference in that Act to the Secretary of 

5 Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to the 

6 Secretary. 

7 (b) FIRE MANAGEMENT AND RELATED ACTIVITIES.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may carry out 

9 any activities in a wilderness area as are necessary 

10 for the control of fire, insects, or disease in accordance 

11 with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

12 1133(d)(1)). 

13 (2) COORDINATION.—In carrying out paragraph 

14 (1), the Secretary shall coordinate with— 

15 (A) the Wyoming Forestry Division; and 

16 (B) the applicable county in the State in 

17 which the wilderness area is located. 

18 (3) FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 

19 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

20 Secretary shall establish a fire management plan for 

21 the wilderness areas— 

22 (A) to ensure the timely and efficient con23 trol of fires, diseases, and insects in the wilder24 ness areas, in accordance with section 4(d)(1) of 

25 the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)); and 


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1 (B) to provide, to the maximum extent 

2 practicable, adequate protection from forest fires, 

3 disease outbreaks, and insect infestations to any 

4 Federal, State, or private land adjacent to the 

5 wilderness areas. 

6 (c) GRAZING.—The grazing of livestock in a wilderness 

7 area, if established before the date of enactment of this Act, 

8 shall be administered in accordance with— 

9 (1) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness Act (16 

10 U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)); and 

11 (2) the guidelines set forth in Appendix A of 

12 House Report 101–405, accompanying H.R. 2570 of 

13 the 101st Congress, for land under the jurisdiction of 

14 the Secretary of the Interior. 

15 (d) BUFFER ZONES.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this section estab17 lishes a protective perimeter or buffer zone around a 

18 wilderness area. 

19 (2) OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES OR USES.—The fact 

20 that a nonwilderness activity or use can be seen or 

21 heard from within a wilderness area shall not pre22 clude the activity or use outside the boundary of the 

23 wilderness area. 


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1 SEC. 5. RELEASE OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS. 

2 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that, for purposes of sec3 tion 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management 

4 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)), any portion of a wilder5 ness study area described in subsection (b) that is not des6 ignated as a wilderness area by section 3 has been ade7 quately studied for wilderness designation. 

8 (b) DESCRIPTION OF LAND.—The wilderness study 

9 areas referred to in subsections (a) and (c) are the following: 

10 (1) The Encampment River Canyon Wilderness 

11 Study Area. 

12 (2) The Prospect Mountain Wilderness Study 

13 Area. 

14 (3) The Bennett Mountains Wilderness Study 

15 Area. 

16 (4) The Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness Study 

17 Area. 

18 (5) The Lankin Dome Wilderness Study Area. 

19 (6) The Split Rock Wilderness Study Area. 

20 (7) The Savage Peak Wilderness Study Area. 

21 (8) The Miller Springs Wilderness Study Area. 

22 (9) The Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study 

23 Area. 

24 (10) The Copper Mountain Wilderness Study 

25 Area. 


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1 (11) The Whiskey Mountain Wilderness Study 

2 Area. 

3 (12) The Fortification Creek Wilderness Study 

4 Area. 

5 (13) The Gardner Mountain Wilderness Study 

6 Area. 

7 (14) The North Fork Wilderness Study Area. 

8 (15) The portion of the Bobcat Draw Wilderness 

9 Study Area located in Washakie County, Wyoming. 

10 (16) The Cedar Mountain Wilderness Study 

11 Area. 

12 (17) The Honeycombs Wilderness Study Area. 

13 (c) RELEASE.—Any portion of a wilderness study area 

14 described in subsection (b) that is not designated as a wil15 derness area by section 3 is no longer subject to section 

16 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

17 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)). 

18 (d) MANAGEMENT OF RELEASED LAND.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall manage 

20 the portions of the wilderness study areas released 

21 under subsection (c) in accordance with— 

22 (A) the Federal Land Policy and Manage23 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); 

24 (B) applicable land management plans; 


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1 (C) applicable management provisions 

2 under paragraph (2); and 

3 (D) any other applicable law. 

4 (2) SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT PROVISIONS.— 

5 (A) BENNETT MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS

6 STUDY AREA.—The Secretary shall manage the 

7 portion of the Bennett Mountains Wilderness 

8 Study Area released under subsection (c) in ac9 cordance with section 8(a). 

10 (B) DUBOIS BADLANDS WILDERNESS STUDY

11 AREA.— 

12 (i) DIVISION.—The Secretary shall di13 vide the land within the Dubois Badlands 

14 Wilderness Study Area by authorizing the 

15 installation of a fence or the repair or relo16 cation of an existing fence in T. 41 N., R. 

17 106 W., sec. 5, that— 

18 (I) follows existing infrastructure 

19 and natural barriers; 

20 (II) begins at an intersection with 

21 North Mountain View Road in the 

NE1⁄4NW1 22 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 41 N., R. 106 

23 W.; 

24 (III) from the point described in 

25 subclause (II), proceeds southeast to a 


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point near the midpoint of the NE1 1 ⁄4

2 sec. 5, T. 41 N., R. 106 W.; and 

3 (IV) from the point described in 

4 subclause (III), proceeds southwest to a 

point in the SW1⁄4NE1 5 ⁄4 sec. 5, T. 41 

6 N., R. 106 W., that intersects with the 

7 boundary of the Dubois Badlands Wil8 derness Study Area. 

9 (ii) MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary 

10 shall manage the portion of the Dubois 

11 Badlands Wilderness Study Area released 

12 under subsection (c) in accordance with— 

13 (I) paragraph (1); and 

14 (II) sections 6 and 7. 

15 (C) COPPER MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY

16 AREA.— 

17 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

18 manage the portion of the Copper Mountain 

19 Wilderness Study Area released under sub20 section (c) in accordance with paragraph 

21 (1). 

22 (ii) MINERAL LEASING.— 

23 (I) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

24 may lease oil and gas resources within 

25 the land released from the Copper 


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1 Mountain Wilderness Study Area 

2 under subsection (c) if— 

3 (aa) the lease may only be 

4 accessed by directional drilling 

5 from a lease that is outside of the 

6 land released from the Copper 

7 Mountain Wilderness Study Area; 

8 and 

9 (bb) the lease prohibits, with10 out exception or waiver, surface 

11 occupancy and surface disturb12 ance on the land released from the 

13 Copper Mountain Wilderness 

14 Study Area for any activities, in15 cluding activities relating to ex16 ploration, development, or produc17 tion. 

18 (II) UNDERGROUND RIGHTS-OF19 WAY.—The Secretary may grant un20 derground rights-of-way for any min21 eral lease entered into under subclause 

22 (I). 

23 (III) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN

24 LEASES.—Subject to valid rights in ex25 istence on the date of enactment of this 


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1 Act, the Secretary shall not issue a new 

2 lease for a wind or solar project, an 

3 overhead transmission line, or a com4 munication tower on the land released 

5 from the Copper Mountain Wilderness 

6 Study Area under subsection (c). 

7 (IV) AUTHORITY TO EXCHANGE

8 LAND.—In carrying out any land ex9 change involving any of the land re10 leased from the Copper Mountain Wil11 derness Study Area under subsection 

12 (c), the Secretary shall ensure that the 

13 exchange does not result in a net loss 

14 of Federal land. 

15 (D) WHISKEY MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

16 STUDY AREA.—The Secretary shall manage the 

17 portion of the Whiskey Mountain Wilderness 

18 Study Area released under subsection (c) in ac19 cordance with— 

20 (i) paragraph (1); and 

21 (ii) the Whiskey Mountain Cooperative 

22 Agreement between the Wyoming Game and 

23 Fish Commission, the Forest Service, and 

24 the Bureau, including any amendment to 


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1 that agreement relating to the management 

2 of bighorn sheep. 

3 (E) BOBCAT DRAW WILDERNESS STUDY

4 AREA.— 

5 (i) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

6 (I) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 

7 2 years after the date of enactment of 

8 this Act, the Secretary shall develop a 

9 travel management plan for the land 

10 released from the Bobcat Draw Wilder11 ness Study Area under subsection (c). 

12 (II) REQUIREMENTS.—The travel 

13 management plan under subclause (I) 

14 shall— 

15 (aa) identify all existing 

16 roads and trails on the land re17 leased from the Bobcat Draw Wil18 derness Study Area under sub19 section (c); 

20 (bb) designate each road or 

21 trail available for— 

22 (AA) motorized or 

23 mechanized recreation; or 

24 (BB) agriculture prac25 tices; 


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1 (cc) prohibit the construction 

2 of any new road or trail for mo3 torized or mechanized recreation 

4 use; and 

5 (dd) permit the continued 

6 use of nonmotorized trails. 

7 (ii) WITHDRAWAL.— 

8 (I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro9 vided in subclause (II), subject to valid 

10 rights in existence on the date of enact11 ment of this Act, the land released from 

12 the Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study 

13 Area under subsection (c) is with14 drawn from— 

15 (aa) all forms of appropria16 tion or disposal under the public 

17 land laws; 

18 (bb) location, entry, and pat19 ent under the mining laws; and 

20 (cc) disposition under laws 

21 relating to mineral and geo22 thermal leasing. 

23 (II) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary 

24 may lease oil and gas resources within 

25 the land released from the Bobcat 


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1 Draw Wilderness Study Area under 

2 subsection (c) if— 

3 (aa) the lease may only be 

4 accessed by directional drilling 

5 from a lease that is outside of the 

6 land released from the Bobcat 

7 Draw Wilderness Study Area; and 

8 (bb) the lease prohibits, with9 out exception or waiver, surface 

10 occupancy and surface disturb11 ance on the land released from the 

12 Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study 

13 Area for any activities, including 

14 activities related to exploration, 

15 development, or production. 

16 SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF DUBOIS BADLANDS NATIONAL 

17 CONSERVATION AREA. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing rights, 

19 there is established the Dubois Badlands National Conserva20 tion Area (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Conservation 

21 Area’’), comprising approximately 4,446.46 acres of Fed22 eral land administered by the Bureau in the State, as gen23 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Badlands 

24 National Conservation Area’’ and dated November 15, 2023. 


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1 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Conservation Area 

2 is to conserve, protect, and enhance for the benefit and en3 joyment of present and future generations the ecological, 

4 wildlife, recreational, scenic, cultural, historical, and nat5 ural resources of the Area. 

6 (c) MANAGEMENT.—Subject to valid rights in existence 

7 on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

8 manage the Conservation Area— 

9 (1) in a manner that only allows uses of the 

10 Conservation Area that the Secretary determines 

11 would further the purpose of the Conservation Area 

12 described in subsection (b); and 

13 (2) in accordance with— 

14 (A) the Federal Land Policy and Manage15 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); 

16 (B) this section; and 

17 (C) any other applicable law. 

18 (d) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The use of motorized vehicles 

20 in the Conservation Area shall be permitted only on 

21 existing roads, trails, and areas designated by the 

22 Secretary for use by such vehicles as of the date of en23 actment of this Act. 

24 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary may allow the 

25 use of motorized vehicles in the Conservation Area as 


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1 needed for administrative purposes and emergency re2 sponse. 

3 (e) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the Conserva4 tion Area shall be administered in accordance with the laws 

5 generally applicable to land under the jurisdiction of the 

6 Bureau. 

7 (f) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid rights in existence 

8 on the date of enactment of this Act, the land within the 

9 boundaries of the Conservation Area is withdrawn from— 

10 (1) all forms of appropriation or disposal under 

11 the public land laws; 

12 (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 

13 laws; and 

14 (3) disposition under laws relating to mineral 

15 and geothermal leasing. 

16 SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENT OF DUBOIS MOTORIZED RECRE17 ATION AREA. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing rights, 

19 there is established the Dubois Motorized Recreation Area 

20 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Recreation Area’’), com21 prising approximately 367.72 acres of Federal land admin22 istered by the Bureau in the State, as generally depicted 

23 on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Dubois Motorized Recreation 

24 Area’’ and dated November 15, 2023. 

25 (b) MANAGEMENT.— 


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1 (1) BOUNDARY FENCE.—The Secretary shall au2 thorize the construction of a fence along the western 

3 boundary of the Recreation Area on any Federal land 

4 that— 

5 (A) is managed by the Bureau; and 

6 (B) is west of North Mountain View Road. 

7 (2) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—As soon as 

8 practicable after the date of completion of the fence 

9 described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall estab10 lish a travel management plan for the Recreation 

11 Area that efficiently coordinates the use of motorized 

12 off-road vehicles in the Recreation Area. 

13 SEC. 8. ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS. 

14 (a) BENNET MOUNTAINS SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

15 AREA.— 

16 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

17 rights, there is established the Bennett Mountains 

18 Special Management Area (referred to in this sub19 section as the ‘‘Special Management Area’’), com20 prising approximately 6,165.05 acres of Federal land 

21 in the State administered by the Bureau, as generally 

22 depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Bennet Moun23 tains Special Management Area’’ and dated Novem24 ber 15, 2023. 


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1 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Management 

2 Area shall be administered by the Secretary. 

3 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Special Man4 agement Area is to enhance the natural, historic, sce5 nic, and recreational, values of the area. 

6 (4) MANAGEMENT.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

8 manage the Special Management Area— 

9 (i) in furtherance of the purpose de10 scribed in paragraph (3); and 

11 (ii) in accordance with— 

12 (I) the laws (including regula13 tions) generally applicable to the Bu14 reau; 

15 (II) this subsection; and 

16 (III) any other applicable law 

17 (including regulations). 

18 (B) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

19 (i) ROADS.—The construction of new 

20 permanent roads in the Special Manage21 ment Area shall not be allowed. 

22 (ii) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

23 needed for administrative purposes, emer24 gency response, fire management, forest 

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1 trol, habitat management, livestock manage2 ment, and range improvement, the use of 

3 motorized and mechanized vehicles in the 

4 Special Management Area shall be allowed 

5 only on existing roads and trails designated 

6 for the use of motorized or mechanized vehi7 cles. 

8 (iii) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not 

9 later than 2 years after the date of enact10 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall estab11 lish a travel management plan for the Spe12 cial Management Area. 

13 (C) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

14 Special Management Area shall be administered 

15 in accordance with the laws generally applicable 

16 to land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

17 (D) TIMBER HARVESTING.—Commercial 

18 timber harvesting shall not be allowed in the 

19 Special Management Area. 

20 (5) WITHDRAWAL.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

22 rights and subparagraph (B), the Special Man23 agement Area is withdrawn from— 

24 (i) all forms of appropriation or dis25 posal under the public land laws; 


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1 (ii) location, entry, and patent under 

2 the mining laws; and 

3 (iii) disposition under laws relating to 

4 mineral and geothermal leasing. 

5 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may lease 

6 oil and gas resources within the boundaries of 

7 the Special Management Area if— 

8 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

9 directional drilling from a lease that is out10 side of the Special Management Area; and 

11 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep12 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur13 face disturbance within the Special Man14 agement Area for any activities, including 

15 activities related to exploration, develop16 ment, or production. 

17 (b) BLACK CAT SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.— 

18 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

19 rights, there is established the Black Cat Special Man20 agement Area (referred to in this subsection as the 

21 ‘‘Special Management Area’’), comprising approxi22 mately 1,178 acres of Federal land in Carbon County, 

23 Wyoming, as generally depicted on the map entitled 

24 ‘‘Black Cat Special Management Area’’ and dated 

25 November 13, 2023. 


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1 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Management 

2 Area shall be administered by the Secretary of Agri3 culture. 

4 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Special Man5 agement Area is to enhance the natural, historic, sce6 nic, and recreational values of the area. 

7 (4) MANAGEMENT.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agri9 culture shall manage the Special Management 

10 Area— 

11 (i) in furtherance of the purpose de12 scribed in paragraph (3); and 

13 (ii) in accordance with— 

14 (I) the laws (including regula15 tions) generally applicable to National 

16 Forest System land; 

17 (II) this subsection; and 

18 (III) any other applicable law 

19 (including regulations). 

20 (B) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

21 (i) ROADS.—The construction of new 

22 permanent roads in the Special Manage23 ment Area shall not be allowed. 

24 (ii) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

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1 gency response, fire management, forest 

2 health and restoration, weed and pest con3 trol, habitat management, livestock manage4 ment, and range improvement, the use of 

5 motorized and mechanized vehicles in the 

6 Special Management Area shall be allowed 

7 only on existing roads and trails designated 

8 for the use of motorized or mechanized vehi9 cles. 

10 (iii) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not 

11 later than 2 years after the date of enact12 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri13 culture shall establish a travel management 

14 plan for the Special Management Area. 

15 (C) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

16 Special Management Area shall be administered 

17 in accordance with the laws generally applicable 

18 to grazing on National Forest System land. 

19 (D) TIMBER HARVESTING.—Commercial 

20 timber harvesting shall not be allowed in the 

21 Special Management Area. 

22 (5) WITHDRAWAL.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

24 rights and subparagraph (B), the Special Man25 agement Area is withdrawn from— 


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1 (i) all forms of appropriation or dis2 posal under the public land laws; 

3 (ii) location, entry, and patent under 

4 the mining laws; and 

5 (iii) disposition under laws relating to 

6 mineral and geothermal leasing. 

7 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may, with 

8 the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture, 

9 lease oil and gas resources within the boundaries 

10 of the Special Management Area if— 

11 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

12 directional drilling from a lease that is out13 side of the Special Management Area; and 

14 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep15 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur16 face disturbance within the Special Man17 agement Area for any activities, including 

18 activities related to exploration, develop19 ment, or production. 

20 (c) SWEETWATER ROCKS SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

21 AREA.— 

22 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

23 rights, there is established the Sweetwater Rocks Spe24 cial Management Area (referred to in this subsection 

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1 proximately 34,347.79 acres of Federal land in Fre2 mont and Natrona Counties, Wyoming, as generally 

3 depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Sweetwater 

4 Rocks Special Management Area’’ and dated Novem5 ber 15, 2023. 

6 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Management 

7 Area shall be administered by the Secretary. 

8 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Special Man9 agement Area is to enhance the natural, historic, sce10 nic, and recreational, values of the area. 

11 (4) MANAGEMENT.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

13 manage the Special Management Area— 

14 (i) in furtherance of the purpose de15 scribed in paragraph (3); and 

16 (ii) in accordance with— 

17 (I) the laws (including regula18 tions) generally applicable to the Bu19 reau; 

20 (II) this subsection; and 

21 (III) any other applicable law 

22 (including regulations). 

23 (B) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 


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1 (i) ROADS.—The construction of new 

2 permanent roads in the Special Manage3 ment Area shall not be allowed. 

4 (ii) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

5 needed for administrative purposes, emer6 gency response, fire management, forest 

7 health and restoration, weed and pest con8 trol, habitat management, livestock manage9 ment, and range improvement, the use of 

10 motorized and mechanized vehicles in the 

11 Special Management Area shall be allowed 

12 only on existing roads and trails designated 

13 for the use of motorized or mechanized vehi14 cles. 

15 (iii) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not 

16 later than 2 years after the date of enact17 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall estab18 lish a travel management plan for the Spe19 cial Management Area. 

20 (C) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

21 Special Management Area shall be administered 

22 in accordance with the laws generally applicable 

23 to the Bureau. 

24 (D) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN OVERHEAD

25 TOWERS.—No new overhead transmission or 


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1 communications tower shall be constructed in the 

2 Special Management Area. 

3 (E) LAND EXCHANGES.—The Secretary may 

4 propose to, and carry out with, an individual or 

5 entity owning land in the vicinity of the Special 

6 Management Area any land exchange that— 

7 (i) increases access to the Special Man8 agement Area; and 

9 (ii) does not result in a net loss of Fed10 eral land. 

11 (F) UNDERGROUND RIGHTS-OF-WAY.—Not12 withstanding paragraph (5), the Secretary may 

13 expand any underground right-of-way in the 

14 Special Management Area that exists as of the 

15 date of enactment of this Act. 

16 (5) WITHDRAWAL.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

18 rights and subparagraph (B), the Special Man19 agement Area is withdrawn from— 

20 (i) all forms of appropriation or dis21 posal under the public land laws; 

22 (ii) location, entry, and patent under 

23 the mining laws; and 

24 (iii) disposition under laws relating to 

25 mineral and geothermal leasing. 


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1 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may lease 

2 oil and gas resources within the boundaries of 

3 the Special Management Area if— 

4 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

5 directional drilling from a lease that is out6 side of the Special Management Area; and 

7 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep8 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur9 face disturbance within the Special Man10 agement Area for any activities, including 

11 activities related to exploration, develop12 ment, or production. 

13 (C) WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY WITH14 DRAWAL.—Subject to valid rights in existence on 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the land within 

16 the boundaries of the Special Management Area 

17 is withdrawn from right-of-way leasing and dis18 position under laws relating to wind or solar en19 ergy. 

20 (d) FORTIFICATION CREEK SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

21 AREA; FRAKER MOUNTAIN SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA; 

22 NORTH FORK SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.— 

23 (1) DEFINITION OF SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

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1 ment Area’’ means a special management area estab2 lished by paragraph (2). 

3 (2) ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

4 AREAS.—Subject to valid existing rights there are es5 tablished the following: 

6 (A) The Fortification Creek Special Man7 agement Area, comprising approximately 

8 12,520.69 acres of Federal land administered in 

9 the State by the Bureau, as generally depicted on 

10 the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Fortification Creek 

11 Management Area’’ and dated November 15, 

12 2023. 

13 (B) The Fraker Mountain Special Manage14 ment Area, comprising approximately 6,248.28 

15 acres of Federal land administered in the State 

16 by the Bureau, as generally depicted on the map 

17 entitled ‘‘Proposed Fraker Mountain Manage18 ment Area’’ and dated November 15, 2023. 

19 (C) The North Fork Special Management 

20 Area, comprising approximately 10,026.15 acres 

21 of Federal land administered in the State by the 

22 Bureau, as generally depicted on the map enti23 tled ‘‘Proposed North Fork Management Area’’ 

24 and dated November 15, 2023. 


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1 (3) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Management 

2 Areas shall be administered by the Secretary. 

3 (4) PURPOSE.—The purpose of a Special Man4 agement Area is to enhance the natural, historic, sce5 nic, recreational, wildlife habitat, forest health, water6 shed protection, and ecological and cultural values of 

7 the area. 

8 (5) MANAGEMENT.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

10 manage each Special Management Area— 

11 (i) in furtherance of the purpose de12 scribed in paragraph (4); and 

13 (ii) in accordance with— 

14 (I) the laws (including regula15 tions) generally applicable to the Bu16 reau; 

17 (II) this subsection; and 

18 (III) any other applicable law 

19 (including regulations). 

20 (B) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

21 (i) ROADS.—The construction of new 

22 permanent roads in a Special Management 

23 Area shall not be allowed. 

24 (ii) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

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1 gency response, fire management, forest 

2 health and restoration, weed and pest con3 trol, habitat management, livestock manage4 ment, and range improvement, the use of 

5 motorized and mechanized vehicles in a 

6 Special Management Area shall be allowed 

7 only on existing roads and trails designated 

8 for the use of motorized or mechanized vehi9 cles. 

10 (iii) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not 

11 later than 2 years after the date of enact12 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall estab13 lish a travel management plan for each 

14 Special Management Area. 

15 (C) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in a 

16 Special Management Area shall be administered 

17 in accordance with the laws generally applicable 

18 to land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

19 (D) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN INFRASTRUC20 TURE.—The development, construction, or instal21 lation of infrastructure for recreational use shall 

22 not be allowed in— 

23 (i) the Fraker Mountain Special Man24 agement Area; or 


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1 (ii) the North Fork Special Manage2 ment Area. 

3 (6) WITHDRAWAL.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

5 rights and subparagraph (B), the Special Man6 agement Areas are withdrawn from— 

7 (i) all forms of appropriation or dis8 posal under the public land laws; 

9 (ii) location, entry, and patent under 

10 the mining laws; and 

11 (iii) disposition under laws relating to 

12 mineral and geothermal leasing. 

13 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may lease 

14 oil and gas resources within the boundaries of a 

15 Special Management Area if— 

16 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

17 directional drilling from a lease that is out18 side of the Special Management Area; and 

19 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep20 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur21 face disturbance within the Special Man22 agement Area for any activities, including 

23 activities related to exploration, develop24 ment, or production. 


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1 (e) CEDAR MOUNTAIN SPECIAL MANAGEMENT

2 AREA.— 

3 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 

4 rights, there is established the Cedar Mountain Spe5 cial Management Area (referred to in this subsection 

6 as the ‘‘Special Management Area’’), comprising ap7 proximately 20,745.73 acres of Federal land in the 

8 State administered by the Bureau, as generally de9 picted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Cedar Moun10 tain Special Management Area’’ and dated November 

11 15, 2023. 

12 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Special Management 

13 Area shall be administered by the Secretary. 

14 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Special Man15 agement Area is to enhance the natural, historic, sce16 nic, recreational, ecological, wildlife, and livestock 

17 production values of the area. 

18 (4) MANAGEMENT.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

20 manage the Special Management Area— 

21 (i) in furtherance of the purpose de22 scribed in paragraph (3); and 

23 (ii) in accordance with— 


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1 (I) the laws (including regula2 tions) generally applicable to the Bu3 reau; 

4 (II) this subsection; and 

5 (III) any other applicable law 

6 (including regulations). 

7 (B) ROADS; MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 

8 (i) ROADS.—The construction of new 

9 permanent roads in the Special Manage10 ment Area shall not be allowed. 

11 (ii) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Except as 

12 needed for administrative purposes, emer13 gency response, fire management, forest 

14 health and restoration, weed and pest con15 trol, habitat management, livestock manage16 ment, and range improvement, the use of 

17 motorized and mechanized vehicles in the 

18 Special Management Area shall be allowed 

19 only on existing roads and trails designated 

20 for the use of motorized or mechanized vehi21 cles. 

22 (iii) TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not 

23 later than 2 years after the date of enact24 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall estabVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00097 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 lish a travel management plan for the Spe2 cial Management Area. 

3 (C) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in the 

4 Special Management Area shall be administered 

5 in accordance with the laws generally applicable 

6 to land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau. 

7 (5) WITHDRAWAL.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

9 rights, the Special Management Area is with10 drawn from— 

11 (i) all forms of appropriation or dis12 posal under the public land laws; 

13 (ii) location, entry, and patent under 

14 the mining laws; and 

15 (iii) disposition under laws relating to 

16 mineral and geothermal leasing. 

17 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may lease 

18 oil and gas resources within the boundaries of 

19 the Special Management Area if— 

20 (i) the lease may only be accessed by 

21 directional drilling from a lease that is out22 side of the Special Management Area; and 

23 (ii) the lease prohibits, without excep24 tion or waiver, surface occupancy and sur25 face disturbance within the Special ManVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 agement Area for any activities, including 

2 activities related to exploration, develop3 ment, or production. 

4 SEC. 9. LANDER SLOPE AREA OF CRITICAL ENVIRON5 MENTAL CONCERN AND RED CANYON AREA 

6 OF CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN. 

7 (a) DEFINITION OF COUNTY.—In this section, the term 

8 ‘‘County’’ means Fremont County, Wyoming. 

9 (b) LANDER SLOPE AREA OF CRITICAL ENVIRON10 MENTAL CONCERN AND RED CANYON AREA OF CRITICAL

11 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN.— 

12 (1) TRANSFERS.—The Secretary shall pursue 

13 transfers in which land managed by the Bureau in 

14 the County is exchanged for land owned by the State 

15 that is within the boundaries of— 

16 (A) the Lander Slope Area of Critical Envi17 ronmental Concern; or 

18 (B) the Red Canyon Area of Critical Envi19 ronmental Concern. 

20 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A transfer under para21 graph (1) shall— 

22 (A) comply with all requirements of law, 

23 including any required analysis; and 

24 (B) be subject to appropriation. 

25 (c) STUDY.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out 

2 a study to evaluate the potential for the development 

3 of special motorized recreation areas in the County. 

4 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The study under para5 graph (1) shall evaluate— 

6 (A) the potential for the development of spe7 cial motorized recreation areas on all land man8 aged by the Bureau in the County except— 

9 (i) any land in T. 40 N., R. 94 W., 

10 secs. 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 

and the N1 11 ⁄2 sec. 34; and 

12 (ii) any land that is subject to a re13 striction on the use of off-road vehicles 

14 under any Federal law, including this Act; 

15 (B) the suitability of the land evaluated 

16 under subparagraph (A) for off-road vehicles, in17 cluding rock crawlers; and 

18 (C) the parking, staging, and camping nec19 essary to accommodate special motorized recre20 ation. 

21 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub23 mit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re24 sources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 

25 Resources of the House of Representatives a report deVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Jun 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00100 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1348.RS S1348

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1 scribing the findings of the study under paragraph 

2 (1). 

3 (d) FREMONT COUNTY IMPLEMENTATION TEAM.— 

4 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

6 shall establish a team, to be known as the ‘‘Fremont 

7 County Implementation Team’’ (referred to in this 

8 subsection as the ‘‘Team’’) to advise and assist the 

9 Secretary with respect to the implementation of the 

10 management requirements described in this section 

11 that are applicable to land in the County. 

12 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Team shall consist of— 

13 (A) the Secretary (or a designee of the Sec14 retary); and 

15 (B) 1 or more individuals appointed by the 

16 Board of County Commissioners of the County. 

17 (3) NONAPPLICABILITY OF THE FEDERAL ADVI18 SORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The Team shall not be sub19 ject to the requirements of chapter 10 of title 5, 

20 United States Code (commonly referred to as the 

21 ‘‘Federal Advisory Committee Act’’). 


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1 SEC. 10. STUDY OF LAND IN HOT SPRINGS AND WASHAKIE 

2 COUNTIES. 

3 (a) DEFINITION OF COUNTIES.—In this section, the 

4 term ‘‘Counties’’ means each of the following counties in 

5 the State: 

6 (1) Hot Springs County. 

7 (2) Washakie County. 

8 (b) STUDY.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out 

10 a study to evaluate the potential for the development 

11 of new special motorized recreation areas in the 

12 Counties. 

13 (2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 (A) LAND INCLUDED.—The study under 

15 paragraph (1) shall evaluate the potential for the 

16 development of new special motorized recreation 

17 areas on Federal land managed by the Bureau 

18 in the Counties except any land that is subject 

19 to a restriction on the use of motorized or mecha20 nized vehicles under any Federal law, including 

21 this Act. 

22 (B) PUBLIC INPUT; COLLABORATION.—In 

23 carrying out the study under paragraph (1), the 

24 Secretary shall— 

25 (i) offer opportunities for public input; 

26 and 


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•S 1348 RS

1 (ii) collaborate with— 

2 (I) State parks, historic sites, and 

3 trails; and 

4 (II) the Counties. 

5 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub7 mit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re8 sources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 

9 Resources of the House of Representatives a report de10 scribing the findings of the study under paragraph 

11 (1). 


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Calendar No. 422 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1348 

[Report No. 118–185] 

A BILL 

To redesignate land within certain wilderness study 

purposes. areas in the State of Wyoming, and for other 

JUNE 18, 2024 

Reported with an amendment 


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