Wild Rogue Conservation and Recreation Enhancement Act

Bill: 117-hr-7509
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4]
Introduced: 2022-04-14
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Emergency planning and evacuation

Fires

Forests, forestry, trees

Government studies and investigations

Land use and conservation

Oregon

Parks, recreation areas, trails

Roads and highways

Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Latest action: action_date: 2022-06-23
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-04-14
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Wild Rogue Conservation and Recreation Enhancement Act</strong> </p> <p>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. </p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p> Interior or USDA, as appropriate, may take measures within such wilderness additions as are necessary to control fire, insects, and disease. </p> <p>All federal surface and subsurface land within the recreation area or the wilderness additions is withdrawn from</p> <ul> <li>entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; </li> <li>location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and </li> <li>disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials. </li> </ul>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7509 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 14, 2022 Mr. DeFazio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Wild Rogue Conservation and Recreation Enhancement Act . 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. 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). 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.