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Read. Follow. Verify.Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2023
Last action · June 23, 2023: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.Sponsor: Harriet Hageman
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill proposes to officially designate specific s in Carbon County, Wyoming, as protected wilderness areas and creates a new special management area. It also mandates new fire suppression plans and establishes rules for road maintenance, grazing, and motorized vehicle use in these regions.
The bill changes the legal status of specific public lands in Wyoming, which dictates how local residents, ranchers, and emergency services can access, maintain, and protect these areas from fire and disease.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Carbon County residents
Residents are subject to new travel management plans and fire protection protocols for the designated public lands.
Local ranchers
Ranchers with existing grazing permits on these lands must operate under the specific legal frameworks defined in the bill.
Bureau of Land Management
The agency is tasked with new administrative duties, including creating fire suppression plans and travel management plans.
Key Facts
- Designates the Encampment River Canyon Wilderness Study Area as the Encampment River Canyon Wilderness.
- Designates the Prospect Mountain Wilderness Study Area as the Prospect Mountain Wilderness.
- Designates the Bennett Mountains Wilderness Study Area as the Bennett Mountains Special Management Area.
- Requires the Bureau of Land Management to create a fire suppression plan for the Encampment River Canyon Wilderness within 180 days, coordinating with Wyoming State Forestry and Carbon County.
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- Excludes specific road corridors (County Road 353, Water Valley Road, and Prospect Road) from wilderness designations to allow for maintenance and repairs.
- Allows existing livestock grazing to continue in the new wilderness areas under established federal guidelines.
- Requires the Secretary of the Interior to review and potentially revise fire, disease, and insect control policies for the wilderness areas within 180 days.
- Prohibits new permanent roads in the Bennett Mountains Special Management Area.
- Limits motorized and mechanized vehicle use in the Bennett Mountains Special Management Area to existing designated roads and trails, except for emergencies or administrative needs.
- Requires a travel management plan for the Bennett Mountains Special Management Area to be established within 2 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I still be able to drive on roads near these wilderness areas?
How will this affect local ranchers?
What happens if there is a wildfire in these areas?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Fire Management Prioritization
The bill explicitly mandates a shift in policy to ensure fire suppression methods can include mechanical activity, which is often restricted in standard wilderness areas.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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