Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act would require the Secretary of the Interior to maintain a genetically diverse herd of at least 150 horses in the park's South Unit. A management plan is due within 120 days of enactment. The plan must provide cost-effective management while ensuring the park's natural resources are not adversely affected. The bill sets a continuing herd-management obligation, not merely a recommendation or a study.
Who Benefits and How
Wild-horse preservation advocates and park visitors who value the herd gain a statutory protection for its continued presence. Annual public findings on population, structure and health also provide oversight information. Local tourism businesses could benefit indirectly from continued viewing opportunities, but the bill promises no visitor numbers, revenue or business subsidy. Protection is not an absolute ban on moving an individual horse: removals are allowed as part of a genetically diverse herd-management plan, in an emergency or to protect public health and safety.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of the Interior and National Park Service must plan, manage, monitor and publicly assess the herd while meeting both the minimum population requirement and the natural-resource protection condition. This constrains management discretion and creates recurring administrative and fieldwork costs without a new specified appropriation. The removal restriction covers Interior removing horses itself or assisting or permitting others to remove them from federal land within the park. It does not exempt park management from other applicable environmental requirements.
Key Provisions
- Requires a genetically diverse herd of at least 150 horses in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
- Directs Interior to develop a cost-effective management plan within 120 days while ensuring natural resources are not adversely impacted.
- Restricts horse removals to herd-management plans, emergencies or public-health and safety grounds and requires annual public population, structure and health findings.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Require Interior to maintain at least 150 genetically diverse horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit, adopt a management plan, restrict removals and publish annual herd assessments.
Key Policy Areas
National park management, Horse conservation
Primary Purpose
Require Interior to maintain at least 150 genetically diverse horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park's South Unit, adopt a management plan, restrict removals and publish annual herd assessments.
Policy Domains
Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act
Identified Gains
- Wild-horse preservation advocates
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitors
Identified Costs
- Department of the Interior
- National Park Service
Sponsors
John Hoeven
R-ND | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2747-2748; …
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous …
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous …
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported …
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "park"
- → Theodore Roosevelt National Park; the minimum herd requirement specifically names the South Unit
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Note: {'description': 'The parser repeats inserted statutory subsection text in the parent amendment and renders its location differently between introduced and engrossed versions. The operative herd minimum, plan deadline, removal exceptions and annual review are unchanged. The population minimum and no-adverse-natural-resource-impact condition must both be represented, not treated as alternatives.'}
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology