[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 15, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H3726-H3728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MODERNIZING ACCESS TO OUR PUBLIC LAND ACT

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3113) to require the Secretary of the Interior, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for 
Civil Works to digitize and make publicly available geographic 
information system mapping data relating to public access to Federal 
land and waters for outdoor recreation, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3113

       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 ``Modernizing Access to Our 
     Public Land Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means any land 
     managed by a Federal land management agency.
       (2) Federal land management agency.--The term ``Federal 
     land management agency'' means--
       (A) the Bureau of Reclamation;
       (B) the National Park Service;
       (C) the Bureau of Land Management;
       (D) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
       (E) the Forest Service; and

[[Page H3727]]

       (F) the Corps of Engineers.
       (3) Road or trail.--The term ``road or trail'' means a road 
     or trail designated by 1 or more of the Secretaries for 
     public use.
       (4) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
       (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief 
     of the Forest Service;
       (B) the Secretary of the Interior; and
       (C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Assistant 
     Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

     SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY DATA STANDARDIZATION.

       Not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly develop and adopt 
     interagency standards to ensure compatibility and 
     interoperability among applicable Federal databases with 
     respect to the collection and dissemination of data--
       (1) relating to public outdoor recreational use on Federal 
     land; and
       (2) used to depict locations at which recreation uses are 
     available to the public.

     SEC. 4. DIGITIZATION AND PUBLICATION OF EASEMENTS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, each of the Secretaries, to the 
     maximum extent practicable, shall digitize and publish on the 
     applicable agency website geographic information system 
     mapping data that specifies, with respect to the relevant 
     Secretary, all Federal interests in private land, including 
     easements (other than flowage easements), reservations, and 
     rights-of-way--
       (1) to which the Federal Government does not have a fee 
     title interest; and
       (2) that may be used to provide public recreational access 
     to the Federal land.
       (b) Public Comment.--The Secretaries shall develop a 
     process to allow members of the public to submit questions or 
     comments regarding the information described in subsection 
     (a).

     SEC. 5. DATA CONSOLIDATION AND PUBLICATION OF ROUTE AND AREA 
                   DATA FOR PUBLIC RECREATIONAL USE.

       (a) In General.--Beginning not later than 5 years after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, each of the Secretaries, to 
     the maximum extent practicable, shall make publicly available 
     on the website of the Department of the Interior, the Forest 
     Service, and the Corps of Engineers, as applicable, 
     geographic information system data with respect to the 
     following:
       (1) Status information with respect to whether roads and 
     trails on the Federal land are open or closed.
       (2) The dates on which roads and trails on the Federal land 
     are seasonally closed.
       (3) The classes of vehicles and types of recreational uses 
     that are allowed on each segment of roads and trails on the 
     Federal land, including the permissibility of--
       (A) off-highway vehicles;
       (B) motorcycles;
       (C) nonmotorized bicycles;
       (D) electric bicycles;
       (E) passenger vehicles;
       (F) nonmechanized transportation; and
       (G) over-snow vehicles.
       (4) The boundaries of areas where hunting or recreational 
     shooting (including archery, firearm discharge, and target 
     shooting) is permanently restricted or prohibited on the 
     Federal land.
       (b) Updates.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretaries, to the maximum extent 
     practicable, shall update the data described in subsection 
     (a) not less frequently than twice per year.
       (2) Public comment.--The Secretaries shall develop a 
     process to allow members of the public to submit questions or 
     comments regarding the information described in subsection 
     (a).
       (c) Effect.--Geographic information system data made 
     publicly available under subsection (a) shall not disclose 
     information regarding the nature, location, character, or 
     ownership of historic, paleontological, or archaeological 
     resources, consistent with applicable law.

     SEC. 6. COOPERATION AND COORDINATION.

       (a) Third-party Providers.--The Secretaries may enter into 
     an agreement with a third party to carry out any provision of 
     this Act.
       (b) US Geological Survey.--The Secretaries may work with 
     the Director of the United States Geological Survey to 
     collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize, or publish data on 
     behalf of the Secretary of the Interior to meet the 
     requirements of this Act.

     SEC. 7. REPORTS.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act and annually thereafter through March 30, 2031, the 
     Secretaries shall submit a report on the progress made by the 
     Secretaries with respect to meeting the requirements of this 
     Act to--
       (1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
     Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 
     Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (4) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
     the House of Representatives.

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated--
       (1) to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this 
     Act--
       (A) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
       (B) $5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025;
       (2) to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out this Act--
       (A) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
       (B) $5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025; 
     and
       (3) to the Secretary of the Army to carry out this Act--
       (A) $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
       (B) $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3113, the Modernizing Access 
to Our Public Land Act, or MAPLand Act, introduced by my Committee on 
Natural Resources colleague, Representative Blake Moore.
  Our committee has long focused on sportsmen's access to public lands. 
I am pleased that shortly after I became chair, we were able to pass 
the bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and 
Recreation Act, which included an entire title on sportsmen's access.
  The MAPLand Act would build on that law, as well as the investments 
made by the Great American Outdoors Act, to help ensure that hunters, 
anglers, and all Americans can more easily find information and 
resources to help facilitate public lands access.
  Representative Moore's bill would direct the Department of the 
Interior, the Forest Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers to 
jointly develop and adopt standards to ensure database compatibility 
for the collection and sharing of outdoor recreation data related to 
Federal lands.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Moore for championing this bill 
on behalf of everyone who enjoys our public lands, and I urge my 
colleagues to support the bill.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I also rise in support, along with Chairman Grijalva, 
and I thank him for his support of H.R. 3113, the MAPLand Act, offered 
by the ranking member of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations, Mr. Blake Moore of Utah.
  This bill directs the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest 
Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers to jointly develop and adopt 
interagency standards for the collection and dissemination of outdoor 
recreation data on Federal lands.
  Our Nation's outdoorsmen and -women are increasingly reliant on 
digital mapping and GPS technologies to hunt, fish, and enjoy other 
recreation activities on our Nation's complicated patchwork of Federal 
lands. Unfortunately, inconsistent and incomplete digital mapping data 
frequently prevents the public and Federal land management agencies 
from maximizing the full benefits of these technologies.
  Mr. Moore's bill requires our Federal land management agencies to 
digitize records of easements and rights-of-way across private lands so 
the public will have a better understanding of Federal land access 
points and ensure that Americans recreating stay safe and avoid 
trespassing.
  Outdoor recreation is vital to our Nation's economy, and the way we 
expand outdoor recreation is to expand access.
  Madam Speaker, I commend Mr. Moore for his hard work on this 
important legislation to modernize our Federal land management records, 
and I urge adoption of the measure.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Moore).

[[Page H3728]]

  

  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues 
to support H.R. 3113, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act, or 
MAPLand Act.
  Access to America's lands is critical. Driven in part by the COVID-19 
pandemic, we are seeing more people hunt, fish, hike, and bike than 
ever before. Recreating on these lands creates fond memories, improves 
the physical and mental health of Americans, and contributes 
significantly to our economy.
  Each year, outdoor recreation across the country injects $887 billion 
into our economy. These dollars support communities in Utah and 
nationwide, contribute to high-paying jobs, and connect us through our 
shared hobbies and interests.
  There are roughly 640 million acres of land in the Federal estate. Of 
these, more than 9 million acres in the Western United States have no 
permanent legal means of access.
  Land users understand firsthand the shortage of information that 
exists on which lands are opened, how they can be accessed, and more. 
In fact, tens of thousands of important land access files are currently 
outdated or only in paper form, filling up cabinets in office building 
basements. This just simply isn't good enough for the 21st century.
  This lack of access to crucial information prevents us from enjoying 
all that our lands have to offer, and it makes it more difficult for 
the hardworking employees at our land management agencies to do their 
jobs.
  It is time to fix these problems by modernizing the data behind our 
Federal lands. My bill, H.R. 3113, the MAPLand Act, will do just that.
  Madam Speaker, this bipartisan and bicameral commonsense legislation 
will help our Federal land management agencies work together better by 
creating shared data standards and improving the digital information 
available to all who visit our lands.
  Making this information more detailed and accessible in the digital 
age is one of the many reasons why this bill enjoys such broad support. 
This is about helping families spend more time together outside, about 
improving the way that our government works, and about fostering and 
sharing the joy of the great outdoors.

                              {time}  1515

  I am grateful to Ranking Members Fulcher and Westerman and Chairmen 
Neguse and Grijalva for cosponsoring the MAPLand Act and helping drive 
it forward.
  I am also grateful for staff members and stakeholder groups who 
worked closely with my office at all hours on this important effort 
that will bring our lands into the 21st century. This has truly been a 
collaborative effort that will reverberate for years to come and one 
that I have been proud to be a part of.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support my legislation, and I 
hope my colleagues in the Senate will consider and pass this important 
bill expeditiously.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I encourage adoption of this 
commonsense bill. It will be very beneficial to provide better access 
to our outdoor recreation areas, and I think it would also be a great 
benefit to Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I urge adoption, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I concur with Ranking Member Westerman 
and urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
H.R. 3113, the ``Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act,'' or the 
MAPLand Act, which will make it easier for every American to access 
data for outdoor recreation possibilities.
  It directs the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to jointly develop and adopt standards 
to ensure compatibility among federal databases for the collection and 
dissemination of outdoor recreation data related to federal lands.
  The Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Corps of 
Engineers must digitize and publish geographic information system 
mapping data that includes:
  federal interests, including easements and rights-of-way, in private 
land;
  status information as to whether roads and trails are open or closed;
  the dates on which roads and trails are seasonally opened and closed;
  the types of vehicles that are allowed on each segment of roads and 
trails;
  the boundaries of areas where hunting or recreational shooting is 
regulated or closed; and
  the boundaries of any portion of a body of water that is closed to 
entry, is closed to watercraft, or has horsepower limitations for 
watercraft.
  The MAPLand Act's stipulations will provide essential information to 
all Americans who wish to spend time on our beautiful public lands.
  Because of the provisions in this bill, Americans will have the most 
up to date information about the trail they wish to hike, stream or 
lake they wish to fish on, or regulations of grounds on which they wish 
to hunt.
  This ensures that all Americans will be safe while exploring our 
great outdoors, making this legislation's passage of the utmost 
necessity.
  This bill would also allow our agencies to manage and plan more 
effectively while also reducing the potential for access-related 
conflicts between recreators and private landowners. Simply put, this 
legislation promises to help more people get outdoors.
  Currently, more than 9.52 million acres of land in the West lack 
permanent and legal access points for public use, and information on 
these lands is still kept on paper files.
  Approximately 5,000 of the Forest Service's 37,000 recorded easements 
have been digitized and uploaded to an electronic database. The MAPLand 
Act would help give federal land management agencies the resources they 
need to digitize these files for public use, as well as require these 
agencies to provide information on seasonal vehicle restrictions on 
public roads and trails, hunting boundaries, and watercraft 
restrictions.
  Madam Speaker, it is for these reasons that I strongly support H.R. 
3113, the MAPLand Act and therefore urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation as well.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3113, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  March 15, 2022, on page H3728, in the third column, the 
following appeared: in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. 
GOOD. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: in the 
affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Madam 
Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

                          ____________________