# 119-s-1476: M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act

119-s-1476, M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1476
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1476
- Congress: 119
- Title: M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-04-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Would add the Gila River system in New Mexico to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System to protect river values and guide management.** It would also withdraw federal land in those river segments from mineral and geothermal leasing and move about 440 acres from the Forest Service to the National Park Service. - Protects rivers and species. It designates many named segments as wild, scenic, or recreational with mapped mileages to guide protections. Native fish habitat projects would be allowed only if they improve recovery of species like Gila trout and keep the river free flowing. - Limits new mineral development inside designated reaches. Federal land within a covered segment would be withdrawn from mining and mineral leasing, while preserving valid existing water rights, grazing permits, and mining rights and prohibiting condemnation without owner consent. - Changes management and boundaries. The bill would require agency maps and a comprehensive management plan made with Tribal, state, and public consultation, and it would transfer about 440 acres to the National Park Service and revise monument and forest boundaries.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Keep existing water, grazing, and mining rights: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would make clear that the designation does not take away existing rights or contracts. Grazing permits, state water rights, points of diversion, water infrastructure, and valid mining rights would remain. Land could not be acquired under this section without the owner’s consent…
- Protect and manage Gila River segments: benefit, low. If enacted, this would add many named parts of the Gila River in New Mexico to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The responsible agencies would make maps and legal descriptions and keep them on file. The agencies would write a river management plan after talking with Tribes, local governments, and…
- Block new mining and leasing on river lands: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would, subject to valid existing rights, withdraw all federal land inside the covered river segments from new public-land claims, general mining claims, and mineral or geothermal leasing or mineral materials disposal. Valid existing rights would still apply.
- Move 440 acres to national monument: mixed, low. If enacted, this would transfer about 440 acres shown on a March 2020 map from the Forest Service to the Interior Department. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument boundary would grow to include that land and the Gila National Forest boundary would shrink. Each agency would prepare and keep on…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-1476 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1476)

## Related
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1476 (as of 2026-09-10).