Bill > S681

This bill establishes several new land management designations in Wyoming, including five wilderness areas (Encampment River Canyon, Prospect Mountain, Upper Sweetwater Canyon, Lower Sweetwater Canyon, and Bobcat Draw) totaling approximately 20,412 acres. The bill also creates multiple special management areas and national conservation areas, such as the Dubois Badlands National Conservation Area and several Special Management Areas like Bennett Mountains, Black Cat, Sweetwater Rocks, Fortification Creek, Fraker Mountain, North Fork, and Cedar Mountain. These new designations aim to protect and manage federal lands for conservation, recreational, ecological, and cultural purposes. The bill releases several wilderness study areas from further wilderness consideration and provides specific management guidelines for each area, including restrictions on road construction, motorized vehicle use, grazing, and resource extraction. Notably, the bill allows for directional drilling of oil and gas resources in some areas but prohibits surface occupancy and disturbance. Additionally, the bill mandates the creation of travel management plans for many areas and requires studies for potential future special motorized recreation areas in Fremont, Hot Springs, and Washakie Counties. The legislation is designed to balance conservation efforts with local land use needs, involving local county governments in management decisions and preserving existing uses like livestock grazing.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/681/all-info