America's Red Rock Wilderness Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1535 To designate as wilderness certain Federal portions of the red rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin Deserts in the State of Utah for the benefit of present and future generations of people in the United States. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 10, 2021 Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. MURRAY, and Mr. MENENDEZ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To designate as wilderness certain Federal portions of the red rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin Deserts in the State of Utah for the benefit of present and future generations of people in the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1535 IS (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 1 this Act is as follows: 2 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Definitions. Sec. 3. Findings. Sec. 4. Purposes. TITLE I—DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS Sec. 101. Great Basin Wilderness Areas. Sec. 102. Grand Staircase-Escalante Wilderness Areas. Sec. 103. Moab-La Sal Canyons Wilderness Areas. Sec. 104. Henry Mountains Wilderness Areas. Sec. 105. Glen Canyon Wilderness Areas. Sec. 106. San Juan-Anasazi Wilderness Areas. Sec. 107. Canyonlands Basin Wilderness Areas. Sec. 108. San Rafael Swell Wilderness Areas. Sec. 109. Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin Wilderness Areas. TITLE II—ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS Sec. 201. General provisions. Sec. 202. Administration. Sec. 203. State school trust land within wilderness areas. Sec. 204. Water. Sec. 205. Roads. Sec. 206. Livestock. Sec. 207. Fish and wildlife. Sec. 208. Protection of Tribal rights. Sec. 209. Management of newly acquired land. Sec. 210. Withdrawal. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 3 In this Act: 4 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 5 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bu- 6 reau of Land Management. 7 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 8 of Utah. 9 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 10 Congress finds that— 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1535 IS (1) the land designated as wilderness by this 1 Act is 1 of the largest remaining expanses of unpro- 2 tected, wild public land in the continental United 3 States; 4 (2) the designation of wilderness by this Act 5 would— 6 (A) increase landscape connectivity in the 7 Colorado Plateau; and 8 (B) help to mitigate the impacts of climate 9 change by— 10 (i) providing critical refugia; 11 (ii) reducing surface disturbances that 12 exacerbate the impacts of climate change; 13 (iii) reducing greenhouse gas emis- 14 sions related to the extraction and use of 15 fossil fuels; and 16 (iv) contributing to the goal of pro- 17 tecting 30 percent of global land and 18 waters by 2030; 19 (3) the land designated as wilderness by this 20 Act is— 21 (A) a living cultural landscape; 22 (B) a place of refuge for wild nature; and 23 (C) an important part of Indigenous and 24 non-Indigenous community values; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1535 IS (4) Indian Tribes have been present on the land 1 designated as wilderness by this Act since time im- 2 memorial, using the plant, animal, landform, and 3 spiritual values for sustenance and cultural, medic- 4 inal, and ceremonial activities, purposes for which 5 Indigenous people continue to use the land; and 6 (5) the designation of wilderness by this Act— 7 (A) is vital to the continuation and revital- 8 ization of Indigenous cultures; and 9 (B) serves to protect places of Indigenous 10 use and sanctuary. 11 SEC. 4. PURPOSES. 12 The purposes of this Act are— 13 (1) to designate as wilderness certain Federal 14 portions of the red rock canyons of the Colorado 15 Plateau and the Great Basin Deserts in the State of 16 Utah for the benefit of present and future genera- 17 tions of people in the United States; 18 (2) to protect the cultural, ecological, and sce- 19 nic values of land designated as wilderness by this 20 Act for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of present 21 and future generations of people in the United 22 States; and 23 (3) to protect the ability of Indigenous and non- 24 Indigenous people to use the land designated as wil- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1535 IS derness by this Act for traditional activities, includ- 1 ing hunting, fishing, hiking, horsepacking, camping, 2 and spirituality as people have used the land for 3 generations. 4 TITLE I—DESIGNATION OF 5 WILDERNESS AREAS 6 SEC. 101. GREAT BASIN WILDERNESS AREAS. 7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 8 (1) the Great Basin region of western Utah is 9 comprised of starkly beautiful mountain ranges that 10 rise as islands from the desert floor; 11 (2) the Wah Wah Mountains in the Great 12 Basin region are arid and austere, with massive cliff 13 faces and leathery slopes speckled with pin˜on and ju- 14 niper; 15 (3) the Pilot Range and Stansbury Mountains 16 in the Great Basin region are high enough to draw 17 moisture from passing clouds and support eco- 18 systems found nowhere else on earth; 19 (4) from bristlecone pine, the world’s oldest liv- 20 ing organism, to newly flowered mountain meadows, 21 mountains of the Great Basin region are islands of 22 nature that— 23 (A) support remarkable biological diversity; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1535 IS (B) provide opportunities to experience the 1 colossal silence of the Great Basin; and 2 (5) the Great Basin region of western Utah 3 should be protected and managed to ensure the pres- 4 ervation of the natural conditions of the region. 5 (b) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with the Wilder- 6 ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following areas in 7 the State are designated as wilderness areas and as com- 8 ponents of the National Wilderness Preservation System: 9 (1) Antelope Range (approximately 17,000 10 acres). 11 (2) Barn Hills (approximately 21,000 acres). 12 (3) Black Hills (approximately 8,700 acres). 13 (4) Bullgrass Knoll (approximately 16,000 14 acres). 15 (5) Burbank Hills/Tunnel Spring (approxi- 16 mately 94,000 acres). 17 (6) Conger Mountain (approximately 31,000 18 acres). 19 (7) Crater and Silver Island Mountains (ap- 20 proximately 121,000 acres). 21 (8) Crater Bench (approximately 35,000 acres). 22 (9) Cricket Mountains (approximately 56,000 23 acres). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1535 IS (10) Deep Creek Mountains (approximately 1 128,000 acres). 2 (11) Drum Mountains (approximately 40,500 3 acres). 4 (12) Dugway Mountains (approximately 24,500 5 acres). 6 (13) Fish Springs Range (approximately 7 64,500 acres). 8 (14) Granite Peak (approximately 19,500 9 acres). 10 (15) Grassy Mountains (approximately 24,000 11 acres). 12 (16) Grouse Creek Mountains (approximately 13 15,000 acres). 14 (17) House Range (approximately 202,000 15 acres). 16 (18) Keg Mountain (approximately 38,500 17 acres). 18 (19) Kern Mountains (approximately 15,000 19 acres). 20 (20) King Top (approximately 111,000 acres). 21 (21) Little Goose Creek (approximately 1,300 22 acres). 23 (22) Middle/Granite Mountain (approximately 24 81,000 acres). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1535 IS (23) Mount Escalante (approximately 17,500 1 acres). 2 (24) Mountain Home Range (approximately 3 90,000 acres). 4 (25) Newfoundland Mountains (approximately 5 23,000 acres). 6 (26) Ochre Mountain (approximately 13,500 7 acres). 8 (27) Oquirrh Mountains (approximately 8,900 9 acres). 10 (28) Painted Rock (approximately 26,500 11 acres). 12 (29) Paradise/Steamboat Mountains (approxi- 13 mately 136,000 acres). 14 (30) Pilot Range (approximately 44,000 acres). 15 (31) Red Tops (approximately 28,000 acres). 16 (32) Rockwell-Little Sahara (approximately 17 19,000 acres). 18 (33) San Francisco Mountains (approximately 19 40,000 acres). 20 (34) Sand Ridge (approximately 73,000 acres). 21 (35) Sevier Plateau (approximately 30,000 22 acres). 23 (36) Simpson Mountains (approximately 43,000 24 acres). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1535 IS (37) Snake Valley (approximately 103,000 1 acres). 2 (38) Spring Creek Canyon (approximately 3 5,200 acres). 4 (39) Stansbury Island (approximately 9,900 5 acres). 6 (40) Stansbury Mountains (approximately 7 25,000 acres). 8 (41) Thomas Range (approximately 41,000 9 acres). 10 (42) Tule Valley (approximately 159,000 11 acres). 12 (43) Wah Wah Mountains (approximately 13 177,000 acres). 14 (44) White Rock Range (approximately 5,500 15 acres). 16 SEC. 102. GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE WILDERNESS 17 AREAS. 18 (a) GRAND STAIRCASE AREA.— 19 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 20 (A) the area known as the Grand Staircase 21 rises more than 6,000 feet in a series of great 22 cliffs and plateaus from the depths of the 23 Grand Canyon to the forested rim of Bryce 24 Canyon; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1535 IS (B) the Grand Staircase— 1 (i) spans 6 major life zones, from the 2 lower Sonoran Desert to the alpine forest; 3 and 4 (ii) encompasses geologic formations 5 that display 3,000,000,000 years of 6 Earth’s history; 7 (C) land managed by the Secretary lines 8 the intricate canyon system of the Paria River 9 and forms a vital natural corridor connection to 10 the deserts and forests of those national parks; 11 (D) land described in paragraph (2) (other 12 than East of Bryce, the majority of Upper 13 Kanab Creek, Moquith Mountain, Bunting 14 Point, Canaan Mountain, Orderville Canyon, 15 Parunuweap Canyon, and Vermillion Cliffs) is 16 located within the Grand Staircase-Escalante 17 National Monument, as established in 1996; 18 and 19 (E) the Grand Staircase in Utah should be 20 protected and managed as a wilderness area. 21 (2) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with the 22 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the fol- 23 lowing areas in the State are designated as wilder- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1535 IS ness areas and as components of the National Wil- 1 derness Preservation System: 2 (A) Bryce Boot (approximately 2,800 3 acres). 4 (B) Bryce View (approximately 850 acres). 5 (C) Bunting Point (approximately 11,000 6 acres). 7 (D) Canaan Mountain (approximately 8 15,000 acres). 9 (E) East of Bryce (approximately 850 10 acres). 11 (F) Glass Eye Canyon (approximately 12 25,000 acres). 13 (G) Ladder Canyon (approximately 14,000 14 acres). 15 (H) Moquith Mountain (approximately 16 15,500 acres). 17 (I) Nephi Point (approximately 15,000 18 acres). 19 (J) Orderville Canyon (approximately 20 8,100 acres). 21 (K) Paria-Hackberry (approximately 22 196,000 acres). 23 (L) Paria Wilderness Expansion (approxi- 24 mately 4,000 acres). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1535 IS (M) Parunuweap Canyon (approximately 1 44,500 acres). 2 (N) Pine Hollow (approximately 11,000 3 acres). 4 (O) Slopes of Bryce (approximately 3,700 5 acres). 6 (P) Timber Mountain (approximately 7 52,500 acres). 8 (Q) Upper Kanab Creek (approximately 9 51,000 acres). 10 (R) Vermillion Cliffs (approximately 11 26,000 acres). 12 (S) Willis Creek (approximately 21,000 13 acres). 14 (b) KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU.— 15 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 16 (A) the Kaiparowits Plateau east of the 17 Paria River is one of the most rugged and iso- 18 lated wilderness regions in the United States; 19 (B) the Kaiparowits Plateau, a windswept 20 land of harsh beauty, contains distant vistas 21 and a remarkable variety of plant and animal 22 species; 23 (C) ancient forests, an abundance of big 24 game animals, and 22 species of raptors thrive 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 1535 IS undisturbed on the grassland mesa tops of the 1 Kaiparowits Plateau; 2 (D) each of the areas described in para- 3 graph (2) (other than Heaps Canyon, Little 4 Valley, and Wide Hollow) is located within the 5 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 6 as established in 1996; and 7 (E) the Kaiparowits Plateau should be pro- 8 tected and managed as a wilderness area. 9 (2) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with the 10 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the fol- 11 lowing areas in the State are designated as wilder- 12 ness areas and as components of the National Wil- 13 derness Preservation System: 14 (A) Andalex Not (approximately 18,000 15 acres). 16 (B) Box Canyon (approximately 3,000 17 acres). 18 (C) Burning Hills (approximately 81,000 19 acres). 20 (D) Canaan Peak Slopes (approximately 21 2,500 acres). 22 (E) Carcass Canyon (approximately 23 85,000 acres). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1535.IS S1535 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 14 •S 1535 IS (F) Fiftymile Bench (approximately 1 13,000 acres). 2 (G) Fiftymile Mountain (approximately 3 207,000 acres). 4 (H) Heaps Canyon (approximately 4,000 5 acres). 6 (I) Horse Spring Canyon (approximately 7 32,000 acres). 8 (J) Kodachrome Headlands (approximately 9 8,500 acres). 10 (K) Little Valley Canyon (approximately 11 4,000 acres). 12 (L) Mud Spring Canyon (approximately 13 66,000 acres). 14 (M) Nipple Bench (appro [Text truncated for display. 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