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119-hr-1472119th Congress

Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large]

Introduced

Summary

Protects and reshapes public lands in Wyoming through new wilderness, conservation, and special management designations. The bill would designate five wilderness areas, create the Dubois Badlands National Conservation Area and a Dubois Motorized Recreation Area, and set new travel, grazing, and resource rules.

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  • Creates the Dubois Badlands National Conservation Area of about 4,446.5 acres and a Dubois Motorized Recreation Area of about 367.7 acres. It would require travel-management plans within 2 years and studies of motorized recreation with reports due within 2 years.
  • Preserves grazing consistent with the Wilderness Act and applies existing grazing laws across the new wilderness, NCA, and Special Management Areas. SMAs bar new permanent roads and limit motorized use to designated routes except for management, emergency response, fire or habitat work.
  • Withdraws many SMA and NCA lands from public-land disposal and from mineral and geothermal leasing while allowing oil and gas only by directional drilling from outside with no surface occupancy or disturbance. Sweetwater Rocks adds bans on new overhead transmission towers and limits wind and solar rights-of-way, and some SMAs allow land exchanges to improve access without reducing the federal land base.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.

Study new motorized recreation areas

The bill would direct a study of new special motorized recreation areas on certain federal lands in Hot Springs and Washakie Counties. The Secretary would gather public input, work with state and county officials, and report findings within 2 years. The study would exclude land already restricted from motorized use.

Dubois Badlands protected; motorized area set

The bill would create the Dubois Badlands National Conservation Area (about 4,446.46 acres) to conserve wildlife, scenery, and cultural resources. Motorized use in the NCA would be limited to roads and trails that existed on the date of enactment, and the land would be withdrawn from new mining and most leasing, subject to existing rights. It would also set a Dubois Motorized Recreation Area (about 367.72 acres), require a fence along its western boundary on certain federal land, and then require a travel plan to manage off‑road use.

New special management areas with limits

The bill would create Special Management Areas: Bennett Mountains (~6,165.05 acres), Black Cat (~1,178), Cedar Mountain (~20,745.73), Fortification Creek (~12,520.69), Fraker Mountain (~6,248.28), North Fork (~10,026.15), and Sweetwater Rocks (~34,347.79). These areas would be withdrawn from new land sales, mining claims, and most mineral and geothermal leasing, subject to valid existing rights. No new permanent roads or commercial timber harvest would be allowed; vehicles would stay on existing designated routes, with exceptions for emergencies and land management. Oil and gas leasing would be allowed only by directional drilling from outside the area, with leases that forbid any surface occupancy or disturbance. Some areas add extra limits: Cedar Mountain and Sweetwater Rocks would block most wind and solar rights‑of‑way; Fraker Mountain and North Fork would bar new recreation infrastructure; Sweetwater Rocks would also ban new overhead towers and allow access‑improving land swaps with no net loss of federal land.

New Wyoming wilderness and fire plan

The bill would add five wilderness areas: Encampment River Canyon (about 4,523.84 acres), Prospect Mountain (about 1,099.76), Upper Sweetwater Canyon (about 2,877.35), Lower Sweetwater Canyon (about 5,665.19), and Bobcat Draw (about 6,246.84). These would be managed under the Wilderness Act, with some small boundary exclusions such as 100‑foot offsets near certain roads. The Secretary would need a fire plan within 180 days and would coordinate with Wyoming and county officials. Grazing that existed before enactment would continue under Wilderness Act grazing rules.

Released study lands get new rules

The bill would release certain wilderness study lands from special study rules so they would be managed under normal federal land laws. On Bobcat Draw released land, most public land sales, mining claims, and mineral leasing would be withdrawn, but oil and gas could be leased only by directional drilling from outside with no surface use on the released land. The Secretary would have 2 years to set a travel plan for the Bobcat Draw released land that maps existing routes and bans new motorized routes. On Copper Mountain released land, oil and gas leasing would be allowed only by directional drilling from outside with no surface use; there would be no new wind or solar leases, overhead power lines, or communication towers, and land swaps must avoid a net loss of federal land. All changes would be subject to valid existing rights.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large]

WY • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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