NPCA submitted the following positions to members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ahead of a hearing scheduled for December 2, 2025.
S. 90 – Historic Roadways Protection Act: NPCA opposes this bill which prevents funding for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to complete travel management plans in Utah. Red rock canyons, rivers, fossils, and wildlife, among other natural and cultural resources, are found in the areas identified in this bill. Travel planning allows BLM to ensure the roads take visitors and permittees to destinations while also ensuring the road system does not fragment important wildlife habitat or harm the abundant cultural resources. This bill stops important agency work and instead promotes cow paths and barely noticeable two-tracks as part of the road system. RS2477 right of way disputes are and should be addressed through the judiciary branch.
S. 764 – Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act: NPCA supports this legislation to protect nearly 400,000 acres of public lands in Colorado, including providing a long overdue boundary designation for the Curecanti National Recreation Area (NRA), which would officially authorize establishment of the area as part of the National Park System. Although the NRA was created in 1965, it was never afforded enabling legislation by Congress, and therefore its boundary was never designated. This administrative deficiency has limited the National Park Service’s ability to efficiently manage the area with long-lasting protections. The CORE Act fixes this by providing an appropriate boundary through transfer and exchange of land with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The proposed boundary adjustment is the result of a years-long extensive public planning process and will allow NPS to work with landowners to enhance the long-term conservation of natural, recreational and scenic resources within the park unit while creating a comprehensive management plan.
S. 1228 – A bill to amend the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to modify the cost-sharing requirement for conservation projects carried out by a qualified youth or conservation corps: NPCA supports this legislation, which amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to modify the cost-sharing requirement for non-profit Conservation and Service Corps from 25% to 10%. The corps conduct mission-critical projects and tasks that are in the federal land management agencies’ regular work plans and maintenance orders and at a reduced cost. By reducing the match, corps will have more available operational resources to apply to a larger number of projects and as a result be able to meet additional needs of agency partners. Additionally, the projects provide training to the next generation of public land stewards.
S. 1319 – Pecos Watershed Protection Act: NPCA supports this legislation, especially the benefits and protection it imparts on the water quality of the Pecos River – a crucial cold-water habitat suitable for cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout. The fishery at the Pecos River in Pecos National Monument is an important community resource and brings economic and educational benefits to the area. This legislation will protect the river from its headwaters in the Pecos Wilderness to its reaches further downstream in the community of Pecos and in Pecos National Monument by withdrawing the upper watershed from activities such as mining and appropriation and geothermal leasing, which would have direct adverse impacts on the water quality of the river downstream and land health of the watershed.
S. 1476 – M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act: NPCA supports this legislation, which would designate segments of the Gila River in New Mexico as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. This designation will ensure long-term protection of the Gila’s riparian ecosystem and its threatened and endangered species, while also protecting clean water for outdoor recreation, local communities and the region’s economy. It will carry immediate benefits for Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and surrounding public lands and wilderness.
S. 1737 – Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act: NPCA supports this locally-driven legislation to designate wilderness and wild and scenic rivers in Washington state. This bill protects the ecosystems and recreational opportunities around Olympic National Park, including trail systems, habitats and vistas. The river protections will create essential connections for salmon between the mountains and the sea, especially within the Elwha River watershed, home to the park’s world-class river restoration project.
S. 2042 – Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025: NPCA supports this legislation, which would codify the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, also known as the Roadless Rule, into law. Roadless areas in America’s national forests support wildlife and plant biodiversity, viewsheds and soundscapes, and climate resilience, as well as air and water quality. The rule was finalized in 2001 after years of public outreach and overwhelming support. Whereas public lands designated as “wilderness” receive higher forms of permanent protection under the law, lands categorized or inventoried as “roadless” are protected landscapes that still allow some development and a broad array of recreation activities. From the Appalachian Trail to Yosemite, the health of many of America’s national park sites rely on the ecosystems that surround them, especially intact national forests. NPCA analysis found that nearly 30% of the designated roadless areas in national forests are within 30 miles of national park lands. Attempts to rescind the Roadless Rule, which this legislation would stop, pave a pathway towards increased oil and gas leasing, industrial logging, and other harmful development on public lands that provide clean water, wildlife habitat and protect the connected ecosystems of nearby national parks.
