117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3519 

AN ACT 

To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the 

Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail, 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, 
2 

†S 3519 ES

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Butterfield Overland 

3 National Historic Trail Designation Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF THE BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND 

5 NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL. 

6 Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 

7 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(31) BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND NATIONAL HIS10 TORIC TRAIL.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Butterfield Over12 land National Historic Trail, a trail of approxi13 mately 3,292 miles following the route operated 

14 by the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, 

15 known as the ‘Ox-Bow Route’, to transport mail 

16 and passengers between the eastern termini of 

17 St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, 

18 and extending westward through the States of 

19 Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and 

20 Arizona, to the western terminus of San Fran21 cisco, California, as generally depicted on the 

22 maps numbered 1 through 15, entitled ‘Study 

23 Route Maps’, and contained in the report pre24 pared by the National Park Service entitled 

25 ‘Butterfield Overland Trail National Historical 
3 

†S 3519 ES

1 Trail Special Resource Study’ and dated May 

2 2018. 

3 ‘‘(B) MAPS.—The maps described in sub4 paragraph (A) shall be on file and available for 

5 public inspection in the appropriate offices of 

6 the National Park Service. 

7 ‘‘(C) ADMINISTRATION.—The trail estab8 lished by subparagraph (A) shall be adminis9 tered by the Secretary of the Interior. 

10 ‘‘(D) LAND ACQUISITION.—The United 

11 States shall not acquire for the trail established 

12 by subparagraph (A) any land or interest in 

13 land outside of the exterior boundary of any 

14 federally administered area without the consent 

15 of the owner of the land or interest in land. 

16 ‘‘(E) NO BUFFER ZONE CREATED.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this 

18 paragraph, the acquisition of land or an in19 terest in land authorized by this para20 graph, or any management plan for the 

21 Butterfield Overland National Historic 

22 Trail creates a buffer zone outside of the 

23 Butterfield Overland National Historic 

24 Trail. 
4 

†S 3519 ES

1 ‘‘(ii) OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES.—The fact 

2 that an activity or use on land outside the 

3 Butterfield Overland National Historic 

4 Trail can be seen, heard, or detected from 

5 land or an interest in land acquired for the 

6 Butterfield Overland National Historic 

7 Trail shall not preclude, limit, control, reg8 ulate, or determine the conduct or manage9 ment of the activity or use. 

10 ‘‘(F) EFFECT ON ENERGY DEVELOPMENT, 

11 PRODUCTION, OR TRANSMISSION.—Nothing in 

12 this paragraph, the acquisition of land or an in13 terest in land authorized by this paragraph, or 

14 any management plan for the Butterfield Over15 land National Historic Trail shall prohibit, 

16 hinder, or disrupt the development, production, 

17 or transmission of energy. 

18 ‘‘(G) NO EMINENT DOMAIN OR CONDEMNA19 TION.—In carrying out this paragraph, the Sec-
5 

†S 3519 ES

1 retary of the Interior may not use eminent do2 main or condemnation.’’. 

Passed the Senate December 20, 2022. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3519 

AN ACT 

To amend the National Trails System Act to desTrail, and for other purposes. ignate the Butterfield Overland National Historic