Environment (Public Lands)

This joint resolution seeks to block a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule concerning the Buffalo Field Office's Resource Management Plan Amendment, which was finalized in November 2024. If passed, it would nullify the rule under the Congressional Review Act, preventing it from taking effect. The resolution directly affects land management decisions at the Buffalo Field Office, specifically regarding public land use and conservation planning. The bill does not create new policy but aims to invalidate an existing BLM regulation that the Government Accountability Office determined qualifies as a "rule" under federal review procedures.

HR 6788, the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act, removes wilderness study area designations for three specific Montana lands: the 81,000-acre Middle Fork Judith area (managed by the Forest Service) and the 11,380-acre Hoodoo Mountain and 11,580-acre Wales Creek areas (managed by the Bureau of Land Management). These areas were previously evaluated and determined unsuitable for wilderness designation under federal law, with land agencies confirming this through collaborative reviews in 2021 and 2020. The bill directs land managers to instead follow existing land and resource management plans for these areas, which were developed through multi-year stakeholder processes. This change aims to improve management by enhancing sportsmen access, public recreation, and wildlife habitat projects while maintaining current protections under environmental laws.

This bill removes wilderness study area designations from three specific Montana public lands: the 81,000-acre Middle Fork Judith area (managed by the Forest Service), and the 11,380-acre Hoodoo Mountain and 11,580-acre Wales Creek areas (managed by the Bureau of Land Management). These lands were previously evaluated and determined unsuitable for wilderness designation under federal law. The bill directs land managers to instead implement existing management plans developed through collaborative processes, which allow for activities like improved public access, wildlife habitat projects, and sportsmen opportunities. This change affects over 104,000 acres of public land in Montana that had remained under wilderness study status despite being deemed unsuitable for wilderness management.

This joint resolution (SJRES 109) seeks to block a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. It requests Congress disapprove the BLM's "Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan" (issued January 2025) under the Congressional Review Act. If approved, this resolution would nullify the BLM rule, preventing it from taking effect. The measure directly affects how the monument is managed, including land use and conservation decisions, by stopping the implementation of the specific resource plan.