119-s888

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 888 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 888

To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management 
 and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and 
 national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry 
 County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, 
appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, 
 and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral 
 leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 6, 2025

Mr. Wyden (for himself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
 Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management 
 and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and 
 national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry 
 County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, 
appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, 
 and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral 
 leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means--
        (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to 
 public land administered by the Secretary of the 
 Interior; or
        (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to 
 National Forest System land.

    (2) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Oregon.

SEC. 3. ROGUE CANYON AND MOLALLA RECREATION AREAS, OREGON.

    (a) Designation of Rogue Canyon and Molalla Recreation Areas.--For 
the purposes of protecting, conserving, and enhancing the unique and 
nationally important recreational, ecological, scenic, cultural, 
watershed, and fish and wildlife values of the areas, the following 
areas in the State are designated as recreation areas for management by 
the Secretary in accordance with subsection
            (c) :

    (1) Rogue canyon recreation area.--The approximately 98,150 
 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary 
 generally depicted as the ``Rogue Canyon Recreation Area'' on 
 the map entitled ``Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue 
 Wilderness Additions'' and dated November 19, 2019, which is 
 designated as the ``Rogue Canyon Recreation Area''.

    (2) Molalla recreation area.--The approximately 29,884 
 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary 
 generally depicted on the map entitled ``Molalla Recreation 
 Area'' and dated September 26, 2018, which is designated as the 
 ``Molalla Recreation Area''.

    (b) Maps and Legal Descriptions.--

    (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and 
 legal description of each recreation area designated by 
 subsection

    (a) .

    (2) Effect.--The maps and legal descriptions prepared under 
 paragraph

    (1) shall have the same force and effect as if 
 included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct any 
 minor errors in the maps and legal descriptions.

    (3) Public availability.--The maps and legal descriptions 
 prepared under paragraph

    (1) shall be available for public 
 inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land 
 Management.
            (c) Administration.--

    (1) Applicable law.--The Secretary shall administer each 
 recreation area designated by subsection

    (a) --
        (A) in a manner that conserves, protects, and 
 enhances the purposes for which the recreation area is 
 established; and
        (B) in accordance with--
            (i) this section;
            (ii) the Federal Land Policy and Management 
 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
            (iii) other applicable laws.

    (2) Uses.--The Secretary shall only allow those uses of a 
 recreation area designated by subsection

    (a) that are 
 consistent with the purposes for which the recreation area is 
 established.

    (3) Wildfire risk assessment.--Not later than 280 days 
 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 
 consultation with the Oregon Governor's Council on Wildfire 
 Response, shall conduct a wildfire risk assessment that 
 covers--
        (A) the recreation areas designated by subsection

    (a) ;
        (B) the Wild Rogue Wilderness; and
            (C) any Federal land adjacent to an area described 
 in subparagraph
        (A) or
        (B) .

    (4) Wildfire mitigation plan.--
        (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
 date on which the wildfire risk assessment is conducted 
 under paragraph

    (3) , the Secretary shall develop a 
 wildfire mitigation plan, based on the wildfire risk 
 assessment, that identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes 
 treatments and other management activities that can be 
 implemented on the Federal land covered by the wildfire 
 risk assessment (other than Federal land designated as 
 a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System) 
 to mitigate wildfire risk to communities located near 
 the applicable Federal land.
        (B) Plan components.--The wildfire mitigation plan 
 developed under subparagraph
        (A) shall include--
            (i) vegetation management projects 
 (including mechanical treatments to reduce 
 hazardous fuels and improve forest health and 
 resiliency);
            (ii) evacuation routes for communities 
 located near the applicable Federal land, which 
 shall be developed in consultation with State 
 and local fire agencies; and
            (iii) strategies for public dissemination 
 of emergency evacuation plans and routes.
            (C) Applicable law.--The wildfire mitigation plan 
 under subparagraph
        (A) shall be developed in accordance 
 with--
            (i) this section; and
            (ii) any other applicable law.

    (5) Road construction.--
        (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
        (B) or as the Secretary determines necessary for public 
 safety, no new permanent or temporary roads shall be 
 constructed (other than the repair and maintenance of 
 existing roads) within a recreation area designated by 
 subsection

    (a) .
        (B) Temporary roads.--Consistent with the purposes 
 of this Act, the Secretary may construct temporary 
 roads within a recreation area designated by subsection

    (a) to implement the wildfire mitigation plan developed 
 under paragraph

    (4) , unless the temporary road would be 
 within an area designated as a unit of the National 
 Wilderness Preservation System.
            (C) Effect.--Nothing in this paragraph affects the 
 administration by the Secretary of the Molalla Forest 
 Road in accordance with applicable resource management 
 plans.

    (6) Effect on wildfire management.--Nothing in this section 
 alters the authority of the Secretary (in cooperation with 
 other Federal, State, and local agencies, as appropriate) to 
 conduct wildland fire operations within a recreation area 
 designated by subsection

    (a) , consistent with the purposes of 
 this Act.

    (7) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, all 
 Federal surface and subsurface land within a recreation area 
 designated by subsection

    (a) is withdrawn from all forms of--
        (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the 
 public land laws;
        (B) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
 laws; and
            (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to 
 mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral 
 materials.

    (8) No effect on wilderness areas.--Any wilderness area 
 located within a recreation area designated by subsection

    (a) shall be administered in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 
 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
            (d) Adjacent Management.--Nothing in this section creates any 
protective perimeter or buffer zone around a recreation area designated 
by subsection

    (a) .

SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF WILD ROGUE WILDERNESS AREA.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Rogue 
 Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue Wilderness Additions'' and 
 dated November 19, 2019.

    (2) Wilderness additions.--The term ``Wilderness 
 additions'' means the land added to the Wild Rogue Wilderness 
 under subsection

    (b)

    (1) .

    (b) Expansion of Wild Rogue Wilderness Area.--

    (1) Expansion.--The approximately 59,512 acres of Federal 
 land in the State generally depicted on the map as ``Proposed 
 Wilderness'' shall be added to and administered as part of the 
 Wild Rogue Wilderness in accordance with the Endangered 
 American Wilderness Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public 
 Law 95-237), except that--
        (A) the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
 of Agriculture shall administer the Federal land under 
 their respective jurisdiction; and
        (B) any reference in that Act to the Secretary of 
 Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to 
 the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the 
 Interior, as applicable.

    (2) Map; legal description.--
        (A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the 
 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
 prepare a map and legal description of the wilderness 
 area designated by paragraph

    (1) .
        (B) Force of law.--The map and legal description 
 filed under subparagraph
        (A) shall have the same force 
 and effect as if included in this section, except that 
 the Secretary may correct typographical errors in the 
 map and legal description.
            (C) Public availability.--The map and legal 
 description filed under subparagraph
        (A) shall be on 
 file and available for public inspection in the 
 appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management 
 and Forest Service.

    (3) Fire, insects, and disease.--The Secretary may take 
 such measures within the Wilderness additions as the Secretary 
 determines to be necessary for the control of fire, insects, 
 and disease, in accordance with 

section 4
            (d) (1) of the 
 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133
            (d) (1) ).

    (4) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
 Wilderness additions are withdrawn from all forms of--
        (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the 
 public land laws;
        (B) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
 laws; and
            (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to 
 mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral 
 materials.

    (5) Tribal rights.--Nothing in this subsection alters, 
 modifies, enlarges, diminishes, or abrogates the treaty rights 
 of any Indian Tribe.

SEC. 5. WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL LAND, CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY, 
 OREGON.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Eligible federal land.--The term ``eligible Federal 
 land'' means--
        (A) any federally owned land or interest in land 
 depicted on the Maps as within the Hunter Creek and 
 Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal Proposal or the 
 Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral Withdrawal 
 Proposal; or
        (B) any land or interest in land located within 
 such withdrawal proposals that is acquired by the 
 Federal Government after the date of enactment of this 
 Act.

    (2) Maps.--The term ``Maps'' means--
        (A) the Bureau of Land Management map entitled 
 ``Hunter Creek and Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal 
 Proposal'' and dated January 12, 2015; and
        (B) the Bureau of Land Management map entitled 
 ``Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral 
 Withdrawal Proposal'' and dated January 12, 2015.

    (b) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, the eligible 
Federal land is withdrawn from all forms of--

    (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land 
 laws;

    (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and

    (3) operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal 
 leasing laws.
            (c) Availability of Maps.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Maps shall be made available to the public 
at each appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management.
            (d) Existing Uses Not Affected.--Except with respect to the 
withdrawal under subsection

    (b) , nothing in this section restricts 
recreational uses, hunting, fishing, forest management activities, or 
other authorized uses allowed on the date of enactment of this Act on 
the eligible Federal land in accordance with applicable law.
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