Wilderness Study Area Release Act

Wilderness Study Area Release Act - Releases all lands designated as wilderness study areas more than 15 years before enactment of this Act from such status and makes them available for use in accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960.

Requires any wilderness study area so designated after the enactment of this Act to remain in such status until the earlier of the following, after which any area not designated as wilderness shall be released and made available under such Act: (1) five years after the date of such designation; (2) the area is determined not to meet wilderness area criteria; (3) the area is determined to meet such criteria; or (4) the area is designated as a wilderness area by an Act of Congress.

[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4589 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4589

   To provide for expedited decisions on wilderness study areas, to 
 provide that lands designated as wilderness study areas for more than 
 15 years shall be used in accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-
               Yield Act of 1960, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2002

Mr. Doolittle introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
      Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for expedited decisions on wilderness study areas, to 
 provide that lands designated as wilderness study areas for more than 
 15 years shall be used in accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-
               Yield Act of 1960, 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 ``Wilderness Study Area Release Act''.

SEC. 2. AREAS DESIGNATED AS WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS FOR MORE THAN 15 
              YEARS.

    All wilderness study areas so designated more than 15 years before 
the date of the enactment of this Act which are in wilderness study 
area status on the date of the enactment of this Act are hereby 
released from wilderness study area status and are available for use in 
accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 
528-531).

SEC. 3. SUBSEQUENT WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.

    (a) Time Period for Designation as Wilderness.--Any wilderness 
study area so designated after the date of enactment of this Act shall 
remain in wilderness study area status until the earlier of the 
following:
            (1) 5 years after the date of such designation;
            (2) the area is determined not to meet the criteria of a 
        wilderness area pursuant to the Wilderness Act;
            (3) the area is determined to meet the criteria of a 
        wilderness area pursuant to the Wilderness Act; or
            (4) the area is designated as a wilderness area by an Act 
        of Congress.
    (b) Result of No Wilderness Area Designation.--If a wilderness 
study area so designated after the date of the enactment of this Act 
meets the criteria of subsection (a)(2) or, after the 5-year period 
referred to in subsection (a)(1), has not met the criteria of paragraph 
(2), (3), or (4) of subsection (a), that wilderness study area shall be 
immediately released from wilderness study area status and shall be 
available for use in accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield 
Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 528-531).
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