[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2216 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 308
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2216

                          [Report No. 118-156]

 To release from wilderness study area designation certain land in the 
State of Montana, to improve the management of that land, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 2023

  Mr. Daines introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

                            January 9, 2024

               Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment
  [Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To release from wilderness study area designation certain land in the 
State of Montana, to improve the management of that land, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Montana Sportsmen Conservation 
Act''.

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) under the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 
        (Public Law 95-150; 91 Stat. 1243), 9 wilderness study areas 
        comprising a total of 973,000 acres of land in the State of 
        Montana were set aside for the Secretary of Agriculture to 
        evaluate the suitability of the wilderness study areas for 
        designation as wilderness, in accordance with the Wilderness 
        Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), with the evaluation to be 
        completed not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of 
        the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 
        Stat. 1243);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) between 1979 and 1986, the Chief of the Forest 
        Service--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) completed the studies of the 9 
                wilderness study areas referred to in paragraph (1); 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) based on those studies, determined 
                that 608,700 acres of the original 973,000 acres 
                designated as wilderness study areas by the Montana 
                Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 
                Stat. 1243) were unsuitable for inclusion in the 
                National Wilderness Preservation System, including the 
                81,000 acres within the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness 
                Study Area;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in 2021, following a 6-year collaborative 
        process, the Forest Service again determined, in the revision 
        of the Helena Lewis and Clark National Forest plan, that the 
        Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area is unsuitable for 
        inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation 
        System;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) under the Federal Land Policy and Management 
        Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), 38 wilderness study areas 
        comprising a total of 447,327 acres of land in the State of 
        Montana were set aside by the Bureau of Land Management to 
        evaluate the suitability of the wilderness study areas for 
        designation as wilderness, with the evaluation to be completed 
        not later than 15 years after the date of enactment of that 
        Act;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) in 1991, the Director of the Bureau of Land 
        Management submitted to the President a recommendation on the 
        suitability for designation of the areas described in paragraph 
        (4), which was subsequently submitted to Congress, under which 
        the Director of the Bureau of Land Management determined that 
        273,828 acres in the State of Montana designated as wilderness 
        study areas by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
        1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) were unsuitable for wilderness 
        designation, including--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the 11,380 acres of land within the 
                Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the 11,580 acres of land within the 
                Wales Creek Wilderness Study Area;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) in 2020, following a 5-year collaborative 
        process, the Bureau of Land Management, in the revision of the 
        Missoula Resource Management Plan--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) reaffirmed that the Hoodoo Mountain 
                Wilderness Study Area and the Wales Creek Wilderness 
                Study Area were unsuitable for wilderness designation; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) recommended alternative management 
                parameters for the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study 
                Area and the Wales Creek Wilderness Study 
                Area;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) despite the recommendations of the Forest 
        Service and the Bureau of Land Management, after the completion 
        of the studies for suitability of the land in the State of 
        Montana designated as wilderness study areas under the Montana 
        Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 Stat. 1243) 
        and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 
        U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) over 1,100,000 acres of public land in 
                the State of Montana remain as wilderness study areas 
                until Congress acts; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) over 700,000 acres of public land in 
                the State of Montana currently designated as wilderness 
                study areas have been determined unsuitable for 
                wilderness management;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) if the wilderness study area designation was 
        removed from each of the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study 
        Area, the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area, and the Wales 
        Creek Wilderness Study Area, land managers would be able to 
        better conserve and manage the areas in accordance with 
        applicable land and resource management plans that retain 
        certain protections for the areas, while providing for--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) enhanced sportsmen opportunities in 
                the backcountry of Montana;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) improved public access; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) the conduct of wildlife habitat and 
                wildfire mitigation projects;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) the applicable land and resource management 
        plans referred to in paragraph (8) were developed through a 
        multi-year, collaborative process supported by--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) resource needs and conditions; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the best available science; 
                and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) following release, the respective land 
        management agencies shall continue managing the areas described 
        in paragraph (8)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in accordance with applicable 
                environmental and administrative laws; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) based on local input, multiple-use and 
                sustained yield principles, and land management 
                objectives.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. RELEASE AND IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF LAND COMPRISING 
              CERTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.</DELETED>

SEC. 2. RELEASE AND IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF LAND COMPRISING CERTAIN 
              WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.

    (a) Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area.--The approximately 
81,000 acres of land comprising the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study 
Area--
            (1) shall no longer be subject to section 3(a) of the 
        Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 
        Stat. 1244); and
            (2) shall be managed in accordance with the applicable land 
        and resource management plan most recently adopted under 
        section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 
        Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604).
    (b) Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area and Wales Creek 
Wilderness Study Area.--The approximately 11,380 acres of land 
comprising the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area and the 
approximately 11,580 acres of land comprising the Wales Creek 
Wilderness Study Area--
            (1) shall no longer be subject to section 603(c) of the 
        Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
        1782(c)); and
            (2) shall be managed in accordance with the applicable land 
        management plans adopted under section 202 of that Act (43 
        U.S.C. 1712).
                                                       Calendar No. 308

118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2216

                          [Report No. 118-156]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To release from wilderness study area designation certain land in the 
State of Montana, to improve the management of that land, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            January 9, 2024

                       Reported with an amendment