I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4620
To accelerate the wilderness designation process by establishing a timetable
for the completion of wilderness studies on Federal lands, and for other
purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 30, 2002
Mr. OTTER (for himself, Mr. HANSEN, Mr. POMBO, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr.
STUMP, Mr. HEFLEY, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. SIMPSON, and Mr. HUNTER) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources
A BILL
To accelerate the wilderness designation process by estab-
lishing a timetable for the completion of wilderness stud-
ies on Federal lands, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as ‘‘America’s Wilderness Pro-
tection Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The designation of certain Federal lands as
wilderness is beneficial to the American people.
(2) The Wilderness Act and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 provided for
the study of certain lands for wilderness suitability.
Areas undergoing such a study have been generally
known as ‘‘Wilderness Study Areas’’.
(3) Wilderness Study Areas were intended to
have interim management status pending completion
of wilderness suitability studies. Wilderness Study
Area status was not intended as a substitute for wil-
derness designation by Congress.
(4) It was not the intent of Congress that areas
continue under Wilderness Study Area status indefi-
nitely. Perpetuation of Wilderness Study Area status
is undesirable and hinders the wilderness designation
process. Lands that merit wilderness designation
should be granted the full protection that such a sta-
tus would afford and those lands that do not merit
such a designation should be released so that they
can be managed for the public good as accorded by
law.
(5) The establishment of a timetable for the
completion of wilderness studies would facilitate the
wilderness designation process by supplying a time-
frame within which Congress must act.
SEC. 3. TIMETABLE FOR WILDERNESS STUDY COMPLETION.
(a) EXISTING
WILDERNESS
STUDY
AREAS.—All
areas with Wilderness Study Area status on the date of
the enactment of this Act shall be released from Wilder-
ness Study Area status on the earlier of the following:
(1) The date that the Secretary of the Interior
or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate, de-
termines that the area is not suitable for wilderness
designation.
(2) 10 years after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(3) The date that the area is designated as wil-
derness by an Act of Congress.
(b) SUBSEQUENT WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.—Any
area that is given Wilderness Study Area status after the
date of enactment of this Act shall be released from Wil-
derness Study Area status on the earlier of the following:
(1) The date that the Secretary of the Interior
or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate, de-
termines that the area is not suitable for wilderness
designation.
(2) 10 years after the date that the area was
given Wilderness Study Area status.
(3) The date that the area is designated as wil-
derness by an Act of Congress.
(c) RELEASE FROM WILDERNESS STUDY AREA STA-
TUS.—Any area that is released from Wilderness Study
Area status pursuant to paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), (b)(1),
or (b)(2) shall revert to the land use status such area had
immediately before the area was given Wilderness Study
Area status and shall not be studied again regarding wil-
derness designation.
(d) WILDERNESS STUDY AREA.—For the purposes of
this section, the term ‘‘Wilderness Study Area’’ means any
Federal land officially referred to as a ‘‘wilderness study
area’’, a ‘‘recommended wilderness’’, a ‘‘proposed wilder-
ness’’, or a ‘‘potential wilderness’’, or any other Federal
land that is under study by, or on behalf of, the Federal
Government for possible designation as wilderness.
Æ