Sponsors (2)
The bill expands Big Bend National Park and clarifies federal authority and boundaries—strengthening conservation and legal certainty—at the cost of potential local economic and land‑use restrictions, acquisition challenges, added management costs, and reduced flexibility or local control.
Visitors and nearby rural communities gain up to ~6,100 acres added to Big Bend National Park, expanding recreation and conservation opportunities.
Lands acquired for the park will be managed under federal park laws, increasing protection for habitat and cultural resources on those tracts.
Park managers and the Department of the Interior get a clear, legally anchored boundary reference and a specified implementing official (the Secretary), reducing legal uncertainty and clarifying administration of park boundaries.
Rural communities and local governments near the park could face restricted non‑federal land uses as park boundaries expand, potentially limiting local land‑use options and economic activities.
Because acquisitions are voluntary and there is no eminent domain authority, property owners can decline offers, which may slow or prevent assembling parcels and reduce the likelihood or timing of expected park expansion benefits.
Managing up to ~6,100 additional acres will increase National Park Service operational and maintenance responsibilities, likely requiring additional funding or reallocation of existing resources.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Allows the Interior Secretary to add about 6,100 acres to Big Bend National Park by acquiring specified tracts via donation or exchange and to revise the park boundary; eminent domain is forbidden.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to add roughly 6,100 acres to Big Bend National Park by acquiring the specific tracts shown on a referenced map through donation or land exchange. The bill requires the Secretary to place the map on file for public inspection, revise the park boundary after acquisition, and administer the added lands as part of the park, and it bars the use of eminent domain to obtain the lands.
Introduced March 25, 2025 by John Cornyn · Last progress June 23, 2025