I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3478 
To release wilderness study areas administered by the Bureau of Land Man-
agement in Luna and Hidalgo Counties, New Mexico that are not suit-
able for wilderness designation from continued management as de facto 
wilderness areas. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 
Mr. PEARCE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To release wilderness study areas administered by the Bu-
reau of Land Management in Luna and Hidalgo Coun-
ties, New Mexico that are not suitable for wilderness 
designation from continued management as de facto wil-
derness areas. 
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 the ‘‘Luna and Hidalgo 
Counties Wilderness Study Area Release Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. RELEASE OF BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT WIL-
DERNESS STUDY AREAS PREVIOUSLY IDENTI-
FIED AS NOT SUITABLE FOR WILDERNESS 
DESIGNATION. 
(a) RELEASE.—Congress finds and directs that the 
public lands described in subsection (b) have been ade-
quately studied for wilderness designation pursuant to sec-
tion 603 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782) and are no longer subject to 
the requirement of subsection (d) of such section per-
taining to the management of wilderness study areas in 
a manner that does not impair the suitability of such areas 
for preservation as wilderness. 
(b) COVERED PUBLIC LANDS.—Subsection (a) ap-
plies to public lands in Luna and Hidalgo Counties, New 
Mexico, administered by the Bureau of Land Management 
pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) that— 
(1) have not been designated as wilderness by 
an Act of Congress before the date of the enactment 
of this Act; and 
(2) have been identified by the Bureau of Land 
Management before the date of the enactment of 
this Act as not suitable for wilderness designation. 
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(c) WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.—The following pub-
lic lands cited in this subsection shall be released accord-
ing to subsection (a): 
(1) Portions of the Big Hatchet Mountains Wil-
derness Study Area deemed unsuitable by the Bu-
reau of Land Management (reflected in the map 
dated August 5, 2014). 
(2) Portions of the Gila Lower Box Wilderness 
Study Area deemed unsuitable by the Bureau of 
Land Management (reflected in the map dated July 
24, 2014). 
(3) Alamo Hueco Mountains Wilderness Study 
Area (reflected in the map dated August 5, 2014). 
(4) Blue Creek Wilderness Study Area (re-
flected in the map dated July 24, 2014). 
(5) Cedar Mountains Wilderness Study Area 
(reflected in the map dated July 24, 2014). 
(6) Cooke’s Range Wilderness Study Area (re-
flected in the map dated June 11, 2014). 
(7) Florida Mountains Wilderness Study Area 
(reflected in the map dated May 28, 2014). 
(8) Guadalupe Canyon Wilderness Study Area 
(reflected in the map dated July 30, 2014). 
(9) Peloncillo Mountains Wilderness Study Area 
(reflected in the map dated July 24, 2014). 
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