# 119-s-5647: River Democracy Act 119-s-5647, River Democracy Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5647 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-5647 - Congress: 119 - Title: River Democracy Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-09-30 - Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-16 ## Summary **Expands the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in Oregon**. This bill would add, reclassify, and precisely map hundreds of river and tributary segments while setting new boundary, mineral withdrawal, wildfire planning, and wetland protections. - Families and downstream communities: Would require comprehensive river management plans that assess wildfire and public safety risks and prioritize prescribed fire, fuels treatments, and restoration for drinking water sources. Plans must be completed within 5 years after they start. - Tribes, States, and local governments: Would authorize cooperative written agreements to share administration and require consultation and written co-management agreements with Tribes before including Tribal land. Tribes could request culturally significant native species plans. - Landowners, miners, and utilities: Would preserve private inholdings and existing utility operations while withdrawing federal land inside new Oregon component boundaries from public land and mining laws, subject to valid existing rights. New Oregon components would use an average boundary of 640 acres per mile. ## Cosponsors (1) - Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Tumalo Creek drinking water consultation: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary of Agriculture would have to consult with the City of Bend when making the comprehensive plan for the bill's Tumalo Creek sections. The consultation would address continued protection of and access to clean drinking water. The provision directs agency planning and does not… - Big Oregon river designation package: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would add, reclassify, or replace many Wild and Scenic river segments across Oregon. It lists dozens of named segments (for example, Owyhee, Grande Ronde, North Umpqua, Snake corridor, Nestucca, Deschutes, Rogue, Clackamas, and others) and assigns each a classification (wild, s… - New river boundary and land protections: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would set several rules to protect private land and cabin interests when agencies draw detailed river boundaries. It would bar including non‑Federal land in some segment boundaries, protect National Forest recreational cabins from being included, require the Agriculture Secreta… - Exclude Nevada lands from plans: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would designate certain Twelvemile Creek and McDermitt Creek segments as wild rivers but require that the comprehensive management plan for those segments not apply to any land in Nevada. The provision applies to the specific segments described in the bill. This changes managem… - Mineral and wetland protections added: mixed, low. If enacted, federal land inside newly designated Oregon river boundaries would be withdrawn from many public‑land disposals and from new mining, geothermal, and mineral leasing, subject to valid existing rights. The bill would also require the Secretaries to map Essential Serpentine Wetlands within… - New river protections for Oregon communities: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would add many Oregon rivers and tributaries to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It would assign wild, scenic, or recreational labels and name the agency (Interior or Agriculture) to manage each segment. Examples include about 22 miles of the Chewaucan River (recreat… - Repeal of some Oregon river protections: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would remove certain earlier statutory river designations in Oregon. Examples named include North Fork Owyhee, West Little Owyhee, Walker Creek, and North Fork Silver Creek. The repeal would take effect upon enactment and could change what protections and land‑use rules apply a… - Uniform boundaries for new Oregon rivers: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would require detailed boundaries for Oregon components designated on or after enactment to average 640 acres per mile. The acreage would be measured from the ordinary high water mark on both sides of the river. The rule would not apply to segments designated before enactment a… ## Related bills - 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act - 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026 - 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act - 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026 - 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act ## Sources - [119-s-5647 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5647) ## Related - [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891) - [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071) - [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022) - [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819) - [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) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5647 (as of 2026-10-16).