Bill > S1198

This bill aims to protect and preserve approximately 4.4 million acres of federal lands in the Northern Rockies Bioregion spanning Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming through multiple conservation strategies. The bill designates numerous areas as wilderness, establishes biological connecting corridors, creates wild and scenic river segments, and sets up wildland recovery areas. Specifically, the bill would create several new wilderness areas across multiple national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands, totaling hundreds of designated wilderness areas. It establishes approximately 2.9 million acres of biological connecting corridors to help wildlife move between core ecosystem areas, with strict restrictions on road building, timber harvesting, and resource extraction in these corridors. The bill also designates over 1 million acres as wildland recovery areas, which will be managed to restore native vegetation, improve water quality, and return damaged lands to a more natural condition. Additionally, the bill creates numerous new wild and scenic river segments across the region and establishes an interagency team to monitor ecosystem health. The legislation includes provisions to protect tribal access and rights, and requires scientific evaluation and reporting on the implementation of the conservation strategies. The overall goal is to preserve biodiversity, protect wildlife habitats, and maintain the ecological integrity of the Northern Rockies region in the face of climate change and human development pressures.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1198/all-info