Local Wilderness Management Act

Bill: 114-hr-6156
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Meadows, Mark [R-NC-11]
Introduced: 2016-09-22
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Latest action: action_date: 2016-10-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2016-09-22
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Local Wilderness Management Act</b></p> <p>This bill amends the Wilderness Act to require certain National Forest System lands, including those which have been designated, officially or defacto, by the Forest Service as wilderness study areas, to be managed by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for multiple use purposes, including mining, grazing, conservation, recreation, and other uses until Congress enacts a law that designates such an area as wilderness or specifies an alternative management approach for it.</p> <p>The bill amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to require certain public lands, including those which have been designated, officially or defacto, as wilderness study areas by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to be managed by the Department of the Interior to promote multiple use purposes, including the continuation of existing mining and grazing uses and mineral leasing, until Congress enacts a law that designates such an area as wilderness or specifies an alternative management approach for it.</p> <p>USDA (with respect to National Forest System land) and Interior (for public lands managed by the BLM) may not designate, officially or defacto, land as a wilderness study area without first obtaining the written consent of the governing body of the county in which such land is located. </p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6156 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 22, 2016 Mr. Meadows introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources , and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Wilderness Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to require the management of a wilderness study area, not designated by statute, under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management for multiple use pending congressional consideration of the recommendation for designation of the area as wilderness, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Local Wilderness Management Act . 2. Multiple use management of National Forest and Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas pending congressional consideration of wilderness recommendation (a) National Forest System Section 3(b) of the Wilderness Act ( 16 U.S.C. 1132(b) ) is amended by striking the fifth sentence and inserting the following new sentence: In the case of an area classified as primitive on the effective date of this Act or designated, officially or defacto, by Forest Service action after that date as a wilderness study area , the Secretary of Agriculture shall manage the area for multiple use (as defined in section 4 of the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 ( 16 U.S.C. 531 )), including mining, grazing, conservation, recreation, and other uses, until such time as Congress enacts a law designating the area as wilderness or specifying an alternative management approach for the area. . (b) Bureau of Land Management public lands Section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ( 43 U.S.C. 1782(c) ) is amended by striking the first sentence and inserting the following new sentence: In the case of an area described in subsection (a) or designated, officially or defacto, by Bureau of Land Management action after the review period as a wilderness study area , the Secretary of the Interior shall manage the area according to the authority provided under this Act and other applicable law in a manner to promote multiple use (as defined in section 4 of the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 ( 16 U.S.C. 531 )), including the continuation of existing mining and grazing uses and mineral leasing, until such time as Congress enacts a law designating the area as wilderness or specifying an alternative management approach for the area. . 3. Local participation in designation of wilderness study areas The Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System land, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, may not designate, officially or defacto, land as a wilderness study area without the written consent of the governing body of the county in which the land is located.