Sponsor
Emily Randall
Representative · D-WA
Representative · D-WA
Official title: To designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 13, 2025 by Emily Randall · Last progress May 13, 2025
The bill locks in substantial wilderness and river protections—benefiting recreation, biodiversity, water quality, and tribal rights—while restricting resource development and creating costs, permitting hurdles, and administrative burdens for local industries, infrastructure projects, and implementing agencies.
Rural residents and recreation users gain permanent protections for roughly 126,554 acres of wilderness plus multiple river segments, preserving recreation, scenic values, and habitat for fish and wildlife.
River segments and adjacent lands are withdrawn from mining and mineral/geothermal leasing, reducing the risk of new mineral development that could harm water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
Tribal members retain treaty-protected hunting, fishing, gathering, and cultural/religious practices, and the Act explicitly reaffirms those rights, reducing legal uncertainty for tribes.
Local timber, mining, development, and related workers and businesses lose access to lands or potential projects, which could reduce local jobs, income, and economic activity.
Property owners and utilities may face increased costs, permitting obstacles, or reduced options for rights-of-way and infrastructure projects crossing newly designated or withdrawn federal lands.
Landowners and nearby homeowners may encounter new restrictions on development and river-related uses within designated river segments, potentially limiting property use and value.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Adds ~126,554 acres in Olympic National Forest to the Wilderness System and designates multiple Washington river segments as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Designates about 126,554 acres in the Olympic National Forest as new wilderness areas or additions and adds multiple Washington river segments to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Sets administration by the Forest Service and Interior as appropriate, creates about 5,346 acres of "potential wilderness" to be added later once nonconforming uses end, protects listed river corridors with wild/scenic/recreational classifications, preserves private and State rights, withdraws affected Federal lands from many forms of development and mining (subject to valid existing rights), and affirms that tribal treaty hunting, fishing, gathering, and cultural rights remain intact.