Sponsors (10)
The bill expands and permanently protects roughly 6,100 acres at Big Bend and clarifies the official map and administering official to reduce uncertainty, but it can constrain nearby private land use, reduce local tax revenue, and locks boundary changes to a dated map that limits later flexibility.
Local and regional visitors and nearby communities: up to ~6,100 acres are added to Big Bend National Park, expanding recreation opportunities and conserving habitat and scenic resources under federal park protection.
State and local governments, park managers, and the public: the law identifies the official park map, designates the Secretary of the Interior as the administering official, and requires the map to be filed and available for inspection, reducing legal uncertainty about boundaries and improving transparency.
Local governments: parcels converted to federal ownership may reduce the local property tax base and future property tax revenue for small/rural counties.
Private landowners near the park: owners who donate or exchange land into the park could face new constraints on land use or loss of private control over those parcels.
Local residents and users near Big Bend: tying the statute to a single dated official map could limit flexibility to correct minor boundary or access errors later, potentially complicating management or local use.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to add about 6,100 acres to Big Bend National Park by acquiring land or interests in land shown on an official map, using only donations or land exchanges. Requires the Secretary to file the official map with the National Park Service and make it available to the public, directs that acquired lands be administered as part of the park, and bars use of eminent domain or condemnation to obtain the lands.
Introduced March 25, 2025 by Tony Gonzales · Last progress March 25, 2025