Wild Rogue Conservation and Recreation Enhancement Act
Bill: H.R.7509 | Sponsor: Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. (D-OR)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Wild Rogue Conservation and Recreation Enhancement Act
This bill designates specified Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon as the Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area and adds approximately 59,512 acres of federal land to the Wild Rogue Wilderness.
The Department of the Interior, for public land, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for National Forest System land, must conduct a wildfire risk assessment that covers the recreation area, the Wild Rogue Wilderness, and any adjacent federal land. Interior and USDA must develop plans to mitigate wildfire risk to communities located near the land.
No new permanent or temporary roads shall be constructed within the recreation areas except as necessary for public safety or to implement the wildfire mitigation plan.
Interior or USDA, as appropriate, may take measures within such wilderness additions as are necessary to control fire, insects, and disease.
All federal surface and subsurface land within the recreation area or the wilderness additions is withdrawn from

To expand certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management 
and Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and a national 
                recreation area, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wild Rogue Conservation and 
Recreation Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to 
                public land administered by the Secretary of the 
                Interior; or
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to 
                National Forest System land.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Oregon.

SEC. 3. ROGUE CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, OREGON.

    (a) Designation of Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area.--
            (1) In general.--For the purposes of protecting, 
        conserving, and enhancing the unique and nationally important 
        recreational, ecological, scenic, cultural, watershed, and fish 
        and wildlife values of the areas, the area in the State 
        described in paragraph (2) is designated as a national 
        recreation area for management by the Secretary in accordance 
        with subsection (c).
            (2) Rogue canyon national recreation area.--The area 
        described in this paragraph is the approximately 98,150 acres 
        of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary generally 
        depicted as the ``Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area'' on 
        the map entitled ``Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area Wild 
        Rogue Wilderness Additions'' and dated November 19, 2019, which 
        is designated as the ``Rogue Canyon National Recreation Area''.
    (b) Maps and Legal Descriptions.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and 
        legal description of the national recreation area designated by 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Effect.--The map and legal description prepared under 
        paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if 
        included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct any 
        minor errors in the map and legal description.
            (3) Public availability.--The map and legal description 
        prepared under paragraph (1) shall be available for public 
        inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land 
        Management.
    (c) Administration.--
            (1) Applicable law.--The Secretary shall administer the 
        national recreation area designated by subsection (a)--
                    (A) in a manner that conserves, protects, and 
                enhances the purposes for which the national recreation 
                area is established; and
                    (B) in accordance with--
                            (i) this section;
                            (ii) the Federal Land Policy and Management 
                        Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
                            (iii) other applicable laws.
            (2) Uses.--The Secretary shall only allow those uses of the 
        national recreation area designated by subsection (a) that are 
        consistent with the purposes for which the national recreation 
        area is established.
            (3) Wildfire risk assessment.--Not later than 280 days 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        conduct a wildfire risk assessment that covers--
                    (A) the national recreation area designated by 
                subsection (a);
                    (B) the Wild Rogue Wilderness; and
                    (C) any Federal land adjacent to an area described 
                in subparagraph (A) or (B).
            (4) Wildfire mitigation plan.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date on which the wildfire risk assessment is conducted 
                under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall develop a 
                wildfire mitigation plan, based on the wildfire risk 
                assessment, that identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes 
                treatments and other management activities that can be 
                implemented on the Federal land covered by the wildfire 
                risk assessment (other than Federal land designated as 
                a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System) 
                to mitigate wildfire risk to communities located near 
                the applicable Federal land.
                    (B) Plan components.--The wildfire mitigation plan 
                developed under subparagraph (A) shall include--
                            (i) vegetation management projects 
                        (including mechanical treatments to reduce 
                        hazardous fuels and improve forest health and 
                        resiliency);
                            (ii) evacuation routes for communities 
                        located near the applicable Federal land, which 
                        shall be developed in consultation with State 
                        and local fire agencies; and
                            (iii) strategies for public dissemination 
                        of emergency evacuation plans and routes.
                    (C) Applicable law.--The wildfire mitigation plan 
                under subparagraph (A) shall be developed in accordance 
                with--
                            (i) this section; and
                            (ii) any other applicable law.
            (5) Road construction.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B) or as the Secretary determines necessary for public 
                safety, no new permanent or temporary roads shall be 
                constructed (other than the repair and maintenance of 
                existing roads) within the national recreation area 
                designated by subsection (a).
                    (B) Temporary roads.--Consistent with the purposes 
                of this Act, the Secretary may construct temporary 
                roads within the national recreation area designated by 
                subsection (a) to implement the wildfire mitigation 
                plan developed under paragraph (4), unless the 
                temporary road would be within an area designated as a 
                unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
            (6) Effect on wildfire management.--Nothing in this section 
        alters the authority of the Secretary (in cooperation with 
        other Federal, State, and local agencies, as appropriate) to 
        conduct wildland fire operations within the national recreation 
        area designated by subsection (a), consistent with the purposes 
        of this Act.
            (7) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, all 
        Federal surface and subsurface land within the national 
        recreation area designated by subsection (a) is withdrawn from 
        all forms of--
                    (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the 
                public land laws;
                    (B) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
                laws; and
                    (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to 
                mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral 
                materials.
            (8) No effect on wilderness areas.--Any wilderness area 
        located within the national recreation area designated by 
        subsection (a) shall be administered in accordance with the 
        Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
    (d) Adjacent Management.--Nothing in this section creates any 
protective perimeter or buffer zone around the national recreation area 
designated by subsection (a).

SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF WILD ROGUE WILDERNESS AREA.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Rogue 
        Canyon National Recreation Area Wild Rogue Wilderness 
        Additions'' and dated November 19, 2019.
            (2) Wilderness additions.--The term ``Wilderness 
        additions'' means the land added to the Wild Rogue Wilderness 
        under subsection (b)(1).
    (b) Expansion of Wild Rogue Wilderness Area.--
            (1) Expansion.--The approximately 59,512 acres of Federal 
        land in the State generally depicted on the map as ``Proposed 
        Wilderness'' shall be added to and administered as part of the 
        Wild Rogue Wilderness in accordance with the Endangered 
        American Wilderness Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public 
        Law 95-237), except that--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
                of Agriculture shall administer the Federal land under 
                their respective jurisdiction; and
                    (B) any reference in that Act to the Secretary of 
                Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to 
                the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the 
                Interior, as applicable.
            (2) Map; legal description.--
                    (A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                prepare a map and legal description of the wilderness 
                area designated by paragraph (1).
                    (B) Force of law.--The map and legal description 
                filed under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force 
                and effect as if included in this section, except that 
                the Secretary may correct typographical errors in the 
                map and legal description.
                    (C) Public availability.--The map and legal 
                description filed under subparagraph (A) shall be on 
                file and available for public inspection in the 
                appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management 
                and Forest Service.
            (3) Fire, insects, and disease.--The Secretary may take 
        such measures within the Wilderness additions as the Secretary 
        determines to be necessary for the control of fire, insects, 
        and disease, in accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the 
        Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)).
            (4) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
        Wilderness additions are withdrawn from all forms of--
                    (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the 
                public land laws;
                    (B) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
                laws; and
                    (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to 
                mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral 
                materials.
            (5) Tribal rights.--Nothing in this subsection alters, 
        modifies, enlarges, diminishes, or abrogates the treaty rights 
        of any Indian Tribe.
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