S1135-119

What This Bill Does

The bill amends the National Trails System Act to authorize a feasibility study of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, described as existing and potential trail segments running about 280 miles from the Idaho-Utah border to Nephi, Utah along the ancient Lake Bonneville bench. The final text expressly requires the Secretary of Agriculture, rather than leaving the responsible department implicit, to conduct the study. Study eligibility permits evaluation of route feasibility, management, land ownership, public access, and impacts. It does not itself designate a national scenic trail, acquire land, impose a route, or fund trail construction.

Who Benefits and How

Trail users and outdoor-recreation groups gain a formal federal route toward evaluating national designation and coordinated long-distance access. Utah communities, local governments, and tourism businesses along the corridor may gain planning information and future visitor activity if a later Congress approves designation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Agriculture Department and Forest Service study staff must conduct the feasibility review and coordinate route, land, environmental, and management information. State and local land managers and private property owners may need to supply information or participate in consultations, although the bill itself does not compel an acquisition or trail easement.

Key Provisions

• Adds the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the federal feasibility-study list.
• Defines a roughly 280-mile corridor from the Idaho-Utah border to Nephi, Utah.
• Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct the study.
• Provides study authority without designating or constructing a national trail.