I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1153
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 
MARCH 6, 2003
Mr. OTTER (for himself, Mr. CANNON, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. AKIN, Mrs. CUBIN, 
Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. HERGER, Mr. 
HUNTER, Mr. MCINNIS, Mr. PAUL, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
RADANOVICH, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. TANCREDO, and Mr. 
YOUNG of Alaska) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
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