On November 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held its final Business Meeting of the 118^th Congress. The record-breaking number of bills on the docket highlights the backlog of public lands legislation and the inability of Congress to properly pass these types of bills.

The committee considered six bills supported by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, four of which would conserve a total of 2.9 million acres and 325 miles of waterways identified by BHA as high-priority landscapes because they hold valuable fish and wildlife habitat. Two additional bills considered by the committee would digitize publicly available data for recreating on federal waters as well as restore hunting access to more than 20,000 acres of public lands.

Each of these bills was passed by the committee for the first time, a significant step forward to becoming law.

Modernizing Access to Our Public (MAP)Waters Act (S. 3123)

Led by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), this legislation would build on the success of the Modernizing Access to Our Public (MAP)Land Act, passed into law in 2022, by directing federal agencies to make digitally available water and fishing access and recreational use information on waterways managed by the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. Hunters and anglers, who rely on opportunities provided by public waters for access, will benefit greatly from digitizing and making readily accessible information such as watercraft restrictions, fishing regulations, and the geographic boundaries associated with them. With access being the number one obstacle cited by sportsmen and women, this legislation will help to lower the barrier for the enjoyment of our public waters for millions of Americans. The committee advanced this legislation with a favorable report after a voice vote. 

A companion bill in the House of Representatives (H.R. 6127) led by Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) was advanced unanimously by the House Natural Resources Committee on November 20. 

Montana Headwaters Legacy Act (S. 3346)

Led by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), this legislation would designate 325 miles of segments of the Gallatin, Madison, and Smith Rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, nearly doubling Montana’s protected river segments, which currently represent less than one percent of state’s waterways. These legendary Montana rivers provide remarkable opportunities for anglers to pursue native and wild trout. These additions to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System would mean that public access would continue while ensuring that these waterways remain undammed, wild, clean, and free flowing forever. The committee advanced this legislation with a favorable report after a vote of 10-9.

Truckee Meadows Public Land Management Act (S. 3593)

Led by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV,) this legislation, among other provisions, would conserve approximately 900,000 acres of public lands in Washoe County, Nevada through the designation of five new Wilderness Areas spanning 223,039 acres, establishing five new National Conservation Areas encompassing 551,427 acres, and withdrawing eight areas from mineral development totaling 173,919 acres. The wilderness designations include approximately 112,000 acres within the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, as is consistent with the refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan. These landscapes provide habitat for greater sage grouse, pronghorn, mule deer, and bighorn sheep. The committee advanced this legislation with a favorable report after a vote of 10-9.

Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act (S. 3985)

Led by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), this legislation would expand the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area in the Routt National Forest by 6,817 acres. Doing so would conserve sub-alpine habitat in the Harrison and Green Creek watersheds, tributaries to the Yampa River home to native and wild trout. This landscape includes important winter range and habitat for calving elk, as well as habitat for mule deer, black bears, and mountain lions. The committee advanced this legislation with a favorable report after a voice vote. 

A companion bill in the House of Representatives (H.R. 7754) is led by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO). 

Mojave National Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act (S. 4222)

Led by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), this legislation would transfer the 20,920 acres within the Castle Mountains National Monument into the adjacent Mojave National Preserve, reinstating hunting access to these lands, while maintaining the existing protections for the Castle Mountains under National Park Service management. This legislation would improve management efficiencies and facilitate guidance from the Department of the Interior to consolidate management plans on connected parcels of public lands to provide greater certainty for studying, restoring, and actively managing wildlife and their habitats, as well as supporting the future of hunting, fishing, and recreational access across all lands administered by DOI. The committee advanced this legislation with a favorable report after a voice vote. 

You can read more about this legislation in our press release.

Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act (S. 4457)

Led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), this legislation, among other provisions, would conserve approximately 2 million acres of public lands in Clark County, Nevada through the expansion of five Wilderness Areas and the designation of six new Wilderness Areas spanning a total of 1.6 million acres, establishing nine Special Management Areas encompassing 359,000 acres, and the expansion of two National Conservation Areas by 65,000 acres. Chief among the proposed wilderness is the designation of the nearly 1.3-million-acre Southern Paiute Wilderness Area within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, critical to conserving the largest intact habitat for desert bighorn sheep in the Mojave Desert and continuing public access for hunters as military operations in the refuge continue to expand. The committee advanced this legislation with a favorable report after a bipartisan vote of 13-6.

Following this final opportunity for legislation to be reported by committee, BHA continues to advocate for the creation of a legislative package to advance longstanding conservation and recreation priorities through Congress before the end of the 118^th Congress in January. Though results of the 2024 election have reduced the likelihood that such a package materializes and has the momentum to be passed into law, we remain committed to doing everything possible to advance these bills and others reported by the committee in May and December of last year.