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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6788 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6788
To release from wilderness study area designation certain land in the
State of Montana, to improve the management of that land, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 17, 2025
Mr. Downing introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To release from wilderness study area designation certain land in the
State of Montana, to improve the management of that land, 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 ``Montana Sportsmen Conservation
Act''.
SEC. 2. 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--
(A) completed the studies of the 9 wilderness study
areas referred to in paragraph (1); and
(B) based on those studies, 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, including the 81,000 acres within
the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area;
(3) in 2021, following a 6-year collaborative process, the
Forest Service again determined, in the revision of the Helena
Lewis and Clark National Forest plan, that the Middle Fork
Judith Wilderness Study Area is unsuitable for inclusion in the
National Wilderness Preservation System;
(4) under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), 38 wilderness study areas
comprising a total of 447,327 acres of land in the State of
Montana were set aside by the Bureau of Land Management to
evaluate the suitability of the wilderness study areas for
designation as wilderness, with the evaluation to be completed
not later than 15 years after the date of enactment of that
Act;
(5) in 1991, the Director of the Bureau of Land Management
submitted to the President a recommendation on the suitability
for designation of the areas described in paragraph (4), which
was subsequently submitted to Congress, under which the
Director of the Bureau of Land Management determined that
273,828 acres in the State of Montana designated as wilderness
study areas by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) were unsuitable for wilderness
designation, including--
(A) the 11,380 acres of land within the Hoodoo
Mountain Wilderness Study Area; and
(B) the 11,580 acres of land within the Wales Creek
Wilderness Study Area;
(6) in 2020, following a 5-year collaborative process, the
Bureau of Land Management, in the revision of the Missoula
Resource Management Plan--
(A) reaffirmed that the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness
Study Area and the Wales Creek Wilderness Study Area
were unsuitable for wilderness designation; and
(B) recommended alternative management parameters
for the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area and the
Wales Creek Wilderness Study Area;
(7) despite the recommendations of the Forest Service and
the Bureau of Land Management, after the completion of the
studies for suitability of the land in the State of Montana
designated as wilderness study areas under the Montana
Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91 Stat. 1243)
and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)--
(A) over 1,100,000 acres of public land in the
State of Montana remain as wilderness study areas until
Congress acts; and
(B) over 700,000 acres of public land in the State
of Montana currently designated as wilderness study
areas have been determined unsuitable for wilderness
management;
(8) if the wilderness study area designation was removed
from each of the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area, the
Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area, and the Wales Creek
Wilderness Study Area, land managers would be able to better
conserve and manage the areas in accordance with applicable
land and resource management plans that retain certain
protections for the areas, while providing for--
(A) enhanced sportsmen opportunities in the
backcountry of Montana;
(B) improved public access; and
(C) the conduct of wildlife habitat and wildfire
mitigation projects;
(9) the applicable land and resource management plans
referred to in paragraph (8) were developed through a multi-
year, collaborative process supported by--
(A) resource needs and conditions; and
(B) the best available science; and
(10) following release, the respective land management
agencies shall continue managing the areas described in
paragraph (8)--
(A) in accordance with applicable environmental and
administrative laws; and
(B) based on local input, multiple-use and
sustained yield principles, and land management
objectives.
SEC. 3. RELEASE AND IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF LAND COMPRISING CERTAIN
WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.
(a) Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area.--The approximately
81,000 acres of land comprising the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study
Area--
(1) shall no longer be subject to section 3(a) of the
Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-150; 91
Stat. 1244); and
(2) shall be managed in accordance with the applicable land
and resource management plan most recently adopted under
section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604).
(b) Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area and Wales Creek
Wilderness Study Area.--The approximately 11,380 acres of land
comprising the Hoodoo Mountain Wilderness Study Area and the
approximately 11,580 acres of land comprising the Wales Creek
Wilderness Study Area--
(1) shall no longer be subject to section 603(c) of the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
1782(c)); and
(2) shall be managed in accordance with the applicable land
management plans adopted under section 202 of that Act (43
U.S.C. 1712).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
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