Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-1348
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2023-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Government studies and investigations
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wyoming

Summary:
action_date: 2023-04-27
text: 

Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 202

3

 
This bill designates specified wilderness study areas, special management areas, a National Conservation Area, and other areas in Wyoming. 
 
The bill designates the following areas as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
 
 
 certain land within the Encampment River Canyon Wilderness Study Area, to be known as the Encampment River Canyon Wilderness;
 
certain land within the Prospect Mountain Wilderness Study Area, to be known as the Prospect Mountain Wilderness;
 
 certain land within the Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness Study Area, to be known as the Upper Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness and the Lower Sweetwater Canyon Wilderness; and
 
certain land within the Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study Area, to be known as the Bobcat Draw Wilderness.
 
 
The bill designates the following special management areas:
 
 
Bennett Mountains, 
 
Black Cat,
 
Sweetwater Rocks, and
 
Cedar Mountain.
 
 
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) shall divide the land within the Dubois Badlands Wilderness Study Area into the Dubois Motorized Recreation Area and the Dubois Badlands National Conservation Area, separating the two with a fence.
 
The bill designates Fortification Creek, Fraker Mountain, and North Fork as management areas. 
 
The proposed BLM rule titled 
Conservation and Landscape Health
 or any substantially similar rule shall not apply to the land covered by this bill.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2024-12-24
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2024-12-24
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2024-12-23
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2024-12-20
text: Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S7288-7297; text: CR S7288-7292)
action_date: 2024-12-20
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2024-06-18
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 422.
action_date: 2024-06-18
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 118-185.
action_date: 2024-06-18
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 118-185.
action_date: 2023-12-14
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2023-10-25
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 118-311.
action_date: 2023-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2023-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate