Title: San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act
This bill designates specified lands in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (the forests) and specified land of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Colorado as wilderness areas and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
The bill designates specified lands in:
The bill releases certain parts of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Study Area that were not designated as wilderness by this bill from further study for designation as wilderness.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2721 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2721

To designate certain land in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan Counties, 
Colorado, as wilderness, to designate certain special management areas 
           in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 19, 2018

  Mr. Bennet introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate certain land in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan Counties, 
Colorado, as wilderness, to designate certain special management areas 
           in the State of Colorado, 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 ``San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means--
                    (A) land designated as wilderness under paragraphs 
                (23) through (25) of section 2(a) of the Colorado 
                Wilderness Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public Law 
                103-77) (as added by section 3); and
                    (B) land designated as a Special Management Area.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (3) Special management area.--The term ``Special Management 
        Area'' means each of--
                    (A) the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area 
                designated by section 4(a)(1); and
                    (B) the Liberty Bell East Special Management Area 
                designated by section 4(a)(2).
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Colorado.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM.

    Section 2(a) of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1132 
note; Public Law 103-77; 107 Stat. 756; 114 Stat. 1955; 116 Stat. 1055; 
127 Stat. 3824) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(23) Lizard head wilderness addition.--Certain Federal 
        land in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National 
        Forests comprising approximately 3,141 acres, as generally 
        depicted on the map entitled `Proposed Wilson, Sunshine, Black 
        Face and San Bernardo Additions to the Lizard Head Wilderness' 
        and dated March 8, 2018, which is incorporated in, and shall be 
        administered as part of, the Lizard Head Wilderness.
            ``(24) Mount sneffels wilderness additions.--
                    ``(A) Liberty bell and last dollar additions.--
                Certain Federal land in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, 
                and Gunnison National Forests comprising approximately 
                7,279 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled 
                `Proposed Liberty Bell and Last Dollar Additions to the 
                Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, Liberty Bell East Special 
                Management Area' and dated March 8, 2018, which is 
                incorporated in, and shall be administered as part of, 
                the Mount Sneffels Wilderness.
                    ``(B) Whitehouse additions.--Certain Federal land 
                in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National 
                Forests comprising approximately 12,468 acres, as 
                generally depicted on the map entitled `Proposed 
                Whitehouse Additions to the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness' 
                and dated March 22, 2018, which is incorporated in, and 
                shall be administered as part of, the Mount Sneffels 
                Wilderness.
            ``(25) Mckenna peak wilderness.--Certain Federal land in 
        the State of Colorado comprising approximately 8,600 acres of 
        Bureau of Land Management land, as generally depicted on the 
        map entitled `McKenna Peak Wilderness' and dated April 14, 
        2016, to be known as the `McKenna Peak Wilderness'.''.

SEC. 4. SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) Sheep mountain special management area.--The Federal 
        land in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison and San Juan 
        National Forests in the State comprising approximately 21,675 
        acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled ``Proposed 
        Sheep Mountain Special Management Area'' and dated March 8, 
        2018, is designated as the ``Sheep Mountain Special Management 
        Area''.
            (2) Liberty bell east special management area.--The Federal 
        land in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National 
        Forests in the State comprising approximately 792 acres, as 
        generally depicted on the map entitled ``Proposed Liberty Bell 
        and Last Dollar Additions to the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, 
        Liberty Bell East Special Management Area'' and dated March 8, 
        2018, is designated as the ``Liberty Bell East Special 
        Management Area''.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Special Management Areas is to 
conserve and protect for the benefit and enjoyment of present and 
future generations the geological, cultural, archaeological, 
paleontological, natural, scientific, recreational, wilderness, 
wildlife, riparian, historical, educational, and scenic resources of 
the Special Management Areas.
    (c) Management.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall manage the Special 
        Management Areas in a manner that--
                    (A) conserves, protects, and enhances the resources 
                and values of the Special Management Areas described in 
                subsection (b);
                    (B) subject to paragraph (3), maintains or improves 
                the wilderness character of the Special Management 
                Areas and the suitability of the Special Management 
                Areas for potential inclusion in the National 
                Wilderness Preservation System; and
                    (C) is in accordance with--
                            (i) the National Forest Management Act of 
                        1976 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.);
                            (ii) this Act; and
                            (iii) any other applicable laws.
            (2) Prohibitions.--The following shall be prohibited in the 
        Special Management Areas:
                    (A) Permanent roads.
                    (B) Except as necessary to meet the minimum 
                requirements for the administration of the Federal 
                land, to provide access for abandoned mine cleanup, and 
                to protect public health and safety--
                            (i) the use of motor vehicles, motorized 
                        equipment, or mechanical transport (other than 
                        provided in paragraph (3)); and
                            (ii) the establishment of temporary roads.
            (3) Authorized activities.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary may allow any 
                activities (including helicopter access for recreation 
                and maintenance and the competitive running event 
                permitted since 1992) that have been authorized by 
                permit or license as of the date of enactment of this 
                Act to continue within the Special Management Areas, 
                subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary 
                may require.
                    (B) Permitting.--The designation of the Special 
                Management Areas by subsection (a) shall not affect the 
                issuance of permits relating to the activities covered 
                under subparagraph (A) after the date of enactment of 
                this Act.
                    (C) Bicycles.--The Secretary may permit the use of 
                bicycles in--
                            (i) the portion of the Sheep Mountain 
                        Special Management Area identified as ``Ophir 
                        Valley Area'' on the map entitled ``Proposed 
                        Sheep Mountain Special Management Area'' and 
                        dated March 8, 2018; and
                            (ii) the portion of the Liberty Bell East 
                        Special Management Area identified as ``Liberty 
                        Bell Corridor'' on the map entitled ``Proposed 
                        Liberty Bell and Last Dollar Additions to the 
                        Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, Liberty Bell East 
                        Special Management Area'' and dated March 8, 
                        2018.
    (d) Applicable Law.--Water and water rights in the Special 
Management Areas shall be administered in accordance with section 8 of 
the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-77; 107 Stat. 762), 
except that--
            (1) any reference in that section to ``the lands designated 
        as wilderness by this Act'', ``the Piedra, Roubideau, and 
        Tabeguache areas identified in section 9 of this Act, or the 
        Bowen Gulch Protection Area or the Fossil Ridge Recreation 
        Management Area identified in sections 5 and 6 of this Act'', 
        or ``the areas described in sections 2, 5, 6, and 9 of this 
        Act'' shall be considered to be a reference to the ``the 
        Special Management Areas''; and
            (2) any reference in that section to ``this Act'' shall be 
        considered to be a reference to ``the San Juan Mountains 
        Wilderness Act''.

SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

    (a) Fish and Wildlife.--Nothing in this Act affects the 
jurisdiction or responsibility of the State with respect to fish and 
wildlife in the State.
    (b) No Buffer Zones.--
            (1) In general.--Nothing in this Act creates a protective 
        perimeter or buffer zone around covered land.
            (2) Activities outside wilderness.--The fact that a 
        nonwilderness activity or use on land outside of the covered 
        land can be seen or heard from within covered land shall not 
        preclude the conduct of the activity or use outside the 
        boundary of the covered land.
    (c) Maps and Legal Descriptions.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary or the Secretary of the 
        Interior, as appropriate, shall file a map and a legal 
        description of each wilderness area designated by paragraphs 
        (23) through (25) of section 2(a) of the Colorado Wilderness 
        Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public Law 103-77) (as added 
        by section 3) and the Special Management Areas with--
                    (A) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
                of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
                of the Senate.
            (2) Force of law.--Each map and legal description filed 
        under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if 
        included in this Act, except that the Secretary or the 
        Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, may correct clerical 
        and typographical errors in each map and legal description.
            (3) Public availability.--Each map and legal description 
        filed under paragraph (1) shall be on file and available for 
        public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of 
        Land Management and the Forest Service.
    (d) Acquisition of Land.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary or the Secretary of the 
        Interior, as appropriate, may acquire any land or interest in 
        land within the boundaries of a Special Management Area or the 
        wilderness designated under paragraphs (23) through (25) of 
        section 2(a) of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 
        1132 note; Public Law 103-77) (as added by section 3) only 
        through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller.
            (2) Management.--Any land or interest in land acquired 
        under paragraph (1) shall be incorporated into, and 
        administered as a part of, the wilderness or Special Management 
        Area in which the land or interest in land is located.
    (e) Grazing.--The grazing of livestock on covered land, if 
established before the date of enactment of this Act, shall be 
permitted to continue subject to such reasonable regulations as are 
considered necessary by the Secretary with jurisdiction over the 
covered land, in accordance with--
            (1) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
        1133(d)(4)); and
            (2) the applicable guidelines set forth in Appendix A of 
        the report of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of 
        the House of Representatives accompanying H.R. 2570 of the 
        101st Congress (H. Rept. 101-405) or H.R. 5487 of the 96th 
        Congress (H. Rept. 96-617).
    (f) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid rights in existence on the date 
of enactment of this Act, the covered land and the approximately 6,590 
acres generally depicted on the map entitled ``Proposed Naturita Canyon 
Mineral Withdrawal Area'' and dated March 8, 2018, is withdrawn from--
            (1) entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public 
        land laws;
            (2) location, entry, and patent under mining laws; and
            (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, 
        and geothermal leasing laws.

SEC. 6. TECHNICAL CORRECTION.

    Subtitle E of title II of Public Law 111-11 (16 U.S.C. 460zzz et 
seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 2408 (16 U.S.C. 460zzz-7) as 
        section 2409; and
            (2) by inserting after section 2407 (16 U.S.C. 460zzz-6) 
        the following:

``SEC. 2408. RELEASE.

    ``(a) In General.--Congress finds that, for the purposes of section 
603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
1782(c)), the portions of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Study Area 
not designated as wilderness by this subtitle have been adequately 
studied for wilderness designation.
    ``(b) Release.--Any public land referred to in subsection (a) that 
is not designated as wilderness by this subtitle--
            ``(1) is no longer subject to section 603(c) of the Federal 
        Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)); and
            ``(2) shall be managed in accordance with this subtitle and 
        any other applicable laws.''.
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