Sponsors (2)
The bill protects large areas of public land and clarifies local management and recreation opportunities—trading expanded long‑term conservation and predictable recreation for limits on extractive development, some lost motorized access for others, new concentrated ORV sites, and added administrative costs and regulatory complexity.
Rural communities, visitors, and outdoor businesses gain long-term protection for large tracts of public land (~61,000 + ~20,512 + ~4,446 acres and other designations) that preserves scenic, wildlife, and recreational values.
Ranchers, permittees, hunters, anglers, and recreation-dependent businesses retain continued access and use (grazing under existing rules; maintained non-motorized recreation access), supporting local livelihoods and tourism.
Residents and local governments get clearer land status, formal local input (implementation teams, public coordination), and defined travel/management plans that improve predictability for land use and planning.
Local governments, workers, and energy/mining companies lose potential development opportunities (timber, mining, geothermal, wind/solar in some areas), reducing future jobs, royalties, and local economic development options.
Nearby residents, non-motorized recreationists, and wildlife may face increased noise, erosion, traffic, and disturbance where the bill creates or studies expanded motorized recreation areas (and concentrates ORV use), degrading local quality of life and habitat.
Taxpayers and federal land managers face additional administrative, planning, and implementation costs (studies, reports, fire plans, fences, travel plans, land exchanges) that may divert agency resources and require appropriations.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Designates new wilderness and conservation areas, creates special management and motorized recreation areas, releases parts of WSAs, and requires BLM studies and management plans.
Official title: Redesignate land within certain wilderness study areas in the State of Wyoming, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 20, 2025 by John A. Barrasso · Last progress February 20, 2025
Designates five new wilderness areas, creates a national conservation area and multiple special management and motorized recreation areas on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Wyoming, and releases parts of 17 wilderness study areas for management under FLPMA. It requires studies of potential special motorized recreation development in specified counties, directs the Secretary to prepare travel and fire management plans, authorizes certain land exchanges and limited resource uses, and sets timelines for reports and plans (mostly 90 days to 2 years). The law prescribes detailed boundaries, acreage, and mapped exclusions; maintains existing grazing rights and valid existing rights generally; withdraws some lands from mining, leasing, and disposal; and requires local collaboration (including an exempted Fremont County Implementation Team) and public input for studies and plans.