May 29, 2019 – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is trying again to weaken protection of the wilderness. He reintroduced legislation in May that would give local federal officials the ability to allow bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles in federally-designated wilderness areas. His S. 1695 would end the nationwide restriction. The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. It picked up no immediate cosponsors. He introduced a bill with the same idea, called the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act last year but it got no cosponsors and the committee never acted on it. The bill would have applied to lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service Lee also introduced legislation last year and this year that would restrict creation of expansion of national monuments in Utah. That bill is now pending before the same committee. Sen Mitt Romney (R-UT) has cosponsored it.
-Charles Pekow Mountain biking could be allowed in federally designated wilderness areas if Sen. Mike Lee’s 2019 bill is passed. Photo by Dave Iltis
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