Bill > HR2488

This bill, the Rogue Wilderness Area Expansion Act, aims to expand the existing Wild Rogue Wilderness Area in Oregon by adding approximately 59,986 acres of Bureau of Land Management land, which will be managed according to the Wilderness Act, a law that designates areas for preservation in their natural state. It also designates several new segments of the Rogue River and its tributaries as either wild, scenic, or recreational rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, meaning they will be protected from development and managed for their natural, cultural, and recreational values. Furthermore, the bill provides additional protections for certain Rogue River tributaries by prohibiting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from licensing any new dams or water projects on them, and restricting other federal agencies from assisting in such projects unless they are for ecological restoration and benefit water quality. Finally, it withdraws federal land within a quarter-mile of these specified tributaries from mining, mineral leasing, and other forms of disposal to ensure their protection.