America's Red Rock Wilderness Act

This bill would set aside large parts of Utah’s red rock country as wilderness to protect nature, culture, and scenery. It focuses on the red rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau and the deserts of the Great Basin in Utah, and names many areas across regions like the Great Basin, Grand Staircase–Escalante, Moab–La Sal Canyons, Henry Mountains, Glen Canyon, San Juan, Canyonlands Basin, San Rafael Swell, and the Book Cliffs–Greater Dinosaur region . It aims to keep these lands healthy and open for traditional activities such as hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, horsepacking, and spiritual use, and says protection would also connect habitats and help address climate impacts.

How it would work: The Interior Department would manage these areas under federal wilderness law. The bill reserves the water needed for the wilderness areas, keeps state control over fish and wildlife, and protects Tribal rights . Grazing that already exists can continue under reasonable rules that fit wilderness management. Boundaries along roads use set distances, with exceptions for cliffs or fences to make management easier. If the government later acquires land inside a wilderness boundary, it becomes part of the wilderness. These lands would be closed to new mining and energy leasing, while honoring valid existing rights, and detailed maps and legal descriptions would be filed for public inspection after it becomes law .

Key points

• Who is affected: People who use Utah’s red rock public lands, Tribal nations, and ranchers with existing grazing permits .
• What changes: Large areas become wilderness, managed by the Interior Department under federal wilderness law; state school trust land inside these areas would be exchanged for other federal land of equal value .
• Access: Traditional activities like hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, and horsepacking continue.
• Land use limits: Withdraws the land from new mining and geothermal or other energy leasing; sets clear road-boundary rules; reserves needed water; the state still manages wildlife; Tribal rights are protected .
• When: Takes effect when signed into law; maps filed soon after; existing valid rights are honored .