Off-Highway Riding Restrictions May Be Lifted On 43 Million Acres

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), joined by other lawmakers, has
introduced a bill to free up almost 43 million acres of public land
that now may be off-limits to off-highway riding, the American
Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.
Powerful lawmakers supporting the measure include Rep. Rob Bishop
(R-Utah), chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks,
Forests and Public Lands, and Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.), chairman
of the Congressional Western Caucus.
"Millions of acres of land across the United States are being held
under lock and key unnecessarily," McCarthy said. "My bill acts on
recommendations made by the government agencies managing these
lands so they are opened up for increased public use. This is just
common sense.
"By opening these lands up to residents of our local communities
and across the country for their use and enjoyment, we can help
create jobs, boost local economies and reduce the risk of
catastrophic wildfires," he said.
The bill -- H.R. 1581, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act
of 2011, which was introduced on April 15 and announced at a press
event on April 29 -- would remove the stringent use restrictions on
6.7 million acres managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) and on 36.1 million acres of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land
that was evaluated for a strict congressional Wilderness land-use
designations.
The federal agencies have determined the 43 million acres aren't
suitable for Wilderness designation, yet because of various laws
and rules they must continue to strictly manage the land until
Congress "releases" it for other possible uses.
The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act would release the
land, freeing up land managers to determine new uses, if any, such
as allowing responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation where
it currently isn't allowed.
The bill also would prevent the BLM and the USFS from using other
means to manage the land as if it had received a restrictive
Wilderness designation that bars OHV use, such as the new,
controversial U.S Interior Department's Wild Lands policy.
The Wild Lands policy essentially allows BLM bureaucrats, rather
than Congress, to determine what BLM land should be managed as if
Congress had designated it as Wilderness.
AMA Washington Representative Rick Podliska noted the 43 million
acres have been locked up for years, if not decades, even though
the land managers themselves note the land doesn't qualify for the
very restrictive Wilderness designation.
"For years, groups hoping to keep responsible off-highway riders
off public land have been able to get areas earmarked for possible
inclusion in the nation's Wilderness system, which immediately bars
off-highway riding, bicycling and almost all other activities while
the study is under way," Podliska said.
"We commend Reps. McCarthy, Bishop and Pearce for introducing H.R.
1581, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act, and urge all
riders who want to protect and promote responsible off-highway
riding to contact their federal lawmakers and ask them to support
the bill," he said.
The easiest way to contact your lawmaker is through the AMA
website: AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues &
Legislation.