Sponsors (82)
Official title: To designate as wilderness certain Federal portions of the red rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin Deserts in the State of Utah for the benefit of present and future generations of people in the United States.
Introduced March 27, 2025 by Melanie Ann Stansbury · Last progress March 27, 2025
The bill permanently protects large wilderness areas—preserving wildlife, cultural sites, water, and recreation opportunities—while trading off reduced resource development and motorized access plus added management and legal costs for governments and some local stakeholders.
Rural communities, tribal residents, and the general public will have large tracts of public land permanently protected as wilderness, preserving habitat connectivity and scenic landscapes.
Indigenous communities retain stronger legal protection for cultural, medicinal, ceremonial, and subsistence places, and Indigenous and non‑Indigenous people can continue many traditional low‑impact activities (hunting, fishing, hiking, spiritual uses).
Nearby communities and taxpayers benefit from conserved ecosystem services (clean air and water), protected wildlife habitat and corridors, and reduced surface disturbance that contributes to climate mitigation.
Miners, fossil‑fuel interests, state revenues and many rural workers will face reduced access to resource development (mining, leasing, fossil‑fuel extraction, new roads), which could lower local jobs and state income.
Residents and businesses that rely on motorized access, mechanized recreation, or livestock/grazing may lose or have to alter uses—reducing certain recreation/commercial activities and requiring adjustments or compensation.
Federal and state governments and taxpayers may face higher management, enforcement, and legal costs (including water‑rights adjudication and prosecution) without new funding, potentially straining agencies and local services.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Designates 51 specific federal land units in western Utah as wilderness, adds them to the National Wilderness Preservation System, and sets mapping, land-exchange, and federal water-reservation rules.
Designates and adds multiple specific federal land units in western Utah to the National Wilderness Preservation System to conserve ecological, cultural, scenic, and recreational values. The measure names 51 discrete wilderness areas across the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin, lists approximate acreages, and directs administration under existing federal law. Sets mapping, boundary, and land-exchange procedures; requires the Department of the Interior to file maps and legal descriptions with congressional committees and retain public records; establishes federal reserved water rights for each designated wilderness area with the priority date equal to enactment; and preserves tribe and public access for traditional, cultural, and recreational uses while protecting wilderness values.