[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 200 (Thursday, December 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7930-S7931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DAINES:
  S. 2206. A bill to release certain wilderness study areas in the 
State of Montana; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, as a fifth generation Montanan and an avid 
outdoorsman, I know how important access to our public lands are. 
Having hiked, camped, biked, and snowmobiled countless miles in the 
wilderness, forests, and other public lands of Montana, I share with 
other Montanans the desire to explore the beauty of our state. That is 
why today I am introducing the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act. 
This bill follows calls from countless Montanans and the U.S. Forest 
Service recommendations to open up Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) that 
the Forest Service recommended to manage as non-wilderness after the 
congressionally mandated study in the 1970s. The bill would allow new 
uses to be considered in the public planning process. For too long 
these lands have remained in limbo and many forms of recreation have 
been significantly reduced. For this reason, the Montana Legislature 
passed a measure calling on Congress to take action on these Wilderness 
Study Areas, and I have continued to hear from County Commissioners, 
local Montanans, farmers, ranchers, and recreation groups since I have 
been in Congress of their support for action. Hearing this call I today 
introduce the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act and ask my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this important measure.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as, follows:

[[Page S7931]]

  


                                S. 2206

       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 ``Protect Public Use of Public 
     Lands Act''.

     SEC. 2. RELEASE OF CERTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS IN THE 
                   STATE OF MONTANA.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (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);
       (2) between 1979 and 1986, the Chief of the Forest Service 
     completed the studies of the 9 wilderness study areas and 
     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;
       (3) since the completion of the studies required under the 
     Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 
     Stat. 1243), of the land designated as wilderness study areas 
     by that Act--
       (A) 171,000 acres have been designated as wilderness by 
     Congress; and
       (B) 663,000 acres remain as wilderness study areas until 
     Congress acts;
       (4) Congress has failed to act on the recommendations of 
     the Chief of the Forest Service with respect to the remaining 
     7 wilderness study areas;
       (5) the Montana State legislature passed House Joint 
     Resolution 9, a resolution asking Congress to address the 
     remaining 7 wilderness study areas;
       (6) County commissions, sportsmen, farmers and ranchers, 
     and outdoor recreation groups in the State of Montana support 
     Congress acting to remove the land in the State described in 
     subsection (c) to protect public use of public land; and
       (7) for the purposes of section 3(a) of the Montana 
     Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 Stat. 
     1244), the land in the State of Montana described in 
     subsection (c) has been adequately studied for wilderness 
     designation.
       (b) Release.--The land described in subsection (c) is no 
     longer subject to section 3(a) of the Montana Wilderness 
     Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 Stat. 1244).
       (c) Description of Land.--The land referred to in 
     paragraphs (6) and (7) of subsection (a) and subsection (b) 
     is--
       (1) the approximately 151,000 acres of land comprising the 
     West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area;
       (2) the approximately 32,500 acres of land within the Blue 
     Joint Wilderness Study Area not recommended for wilderness 
     classification in the record of decision prepared by the 
     Forest Service entitled ``Bitterroot National Forest Plan'' 
     and dated September 1987;
       (3) the approximately 94,000 acres of land comprising the 
     Sapphire Wilderness Study Area;
       (4) the approximately 81,000 acres of land comprising the 
     Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area; and
       (5) the approximately 91,000 acres of land comprising the 
     Big Snowies Wilderness Study Area.
                                 ______