Bill > HR2259

This bill, the North Fork Watershed Protection Act of 2014, withdraws federally owned land and any future federal acquisitions within the North Fork Federal Lands Withdrawal Area in Montana from being claimed or patented under mining laws and from being leased for mineral or geothermal energy extraction. This withdrawal is subject to existing rights, meaning it does not affect current leaseholders or prevent the Secretary of the Interior from fulfilling requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which ensures environmental impact is considered, or the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which protects threatened and endangered species, for any surface-disturbing activities on leases already in place before the bill's enactment. Importantly, the bill clarifies that it does not restrict existing recreational activities, livestock grazing, or forest management practices on this land.