Sponsors (2)
Introduced March 6, 2025 by Ronald Lee Wyden · Last progress March 6, 2025
The bill secures large tracts of Oregon public land for wilderness, recreation, habitat, and wildfire resilience—improving conservation, public access clarity, and community safety—while restricting new resource development and some commercial/access uses, which reduces local economic and revenue opportunities and can create legal and implementation costs.
Rural communities, recreationists, tribes, and wildlife benefit from large areas of public land (~187,500+ acres across the bill) being permanently protected for wilderness, recreation, habitat, and scenic/cultural values (withdrawn from new mining, leasing, and disposals).
Nearby residents and local governments gain stronger wildfire preparedness and response: required wildfire risk assessments within ~280 days, wildfire mitigation plans (including vegetation treatments and evacuation routes) within a year, and authority to suppress wildfire, insects, and disease on designated additions.
Local communities, land users, and the public get clearer, timely information about boundaries and restricted lands because the bill requires official maps and legal descriptions to be filed at BLM and Forest Service offices (with some map postings within 30 days).
Local economies, developers, and energy companies lose the ability to pursue new mining, geothermal, and other mineral or development leases on withdrawn/wilderness lands, reducing potential jobs, royalties, and local revenue.
Residents, recreation businesses, and some commercial users face limits on access and operations because wilderness designations and withdrawal rules restrict motorized access, new road construction, timber harvest, and certain commercial activities.
Nearby landowners, permittees, and local governments may encounter legal uncertainty and project delays because valid existing mineral rights are retained and could lead to litigation or operational conflicts over the withdrawn areas.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Designates two Oregon recreation areas, adds ~59,512 acres to Wild Rogue Wilderness, and withdraws mapped federal lands from mining/leasing and disposal while requiring wildfire assessment and mitigation.
Designates two Bureau of Land Management areas in Oregon as recreation areas, expands the Wild Rogue Wilderness with about 59,512 acres, and withdraws several mapped federal parcels from mining, leasing, and disposal. Requires the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries to publish maps and legal descriptions, restricts new road construction except for safety or wildfire mitigation, and mandates a wildfire risk assessment within 280 days and a wildfire mitigation plan within one year that is developed with state and local fire agencies and shared with the public.