San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act

Bill: 115-s-2721
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2018-04-19
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Colorado

Land transfers

Land use and conservation

Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Latest action: action_date: 2018-08-22
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 115-528.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-04-19
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act</b></p> <p>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. </p> <p>The bill designates specified lands in: </p> <ul> <li> the forests and San Juan National Forest as the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area, and </li> <li>the forests as the Liberty Bell East Special Management Area. </li> </ul> <p>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. </p>

tv_txt: II 115th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2721 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act . 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. 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 . . 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 . 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. 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: 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. .