Historic Roadways Protection Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Historic Roadways Protection Act temporarily blocks BLM spending on new or specified travel management plans in Utah while R.S. 2477 road-rights litigation remains unresolved. It lists covered travel management areas such as the Henry Mountains, San Rafael Swell, Book Cliffs, Nine Mile Canyon, Dolores River, Trail Canyon, and Paunsaugunt areas, identifies many county-and-state lawsuits against the United States, and prohibits funds for finalizing or implementing covered plans during the applicable period.
Who Benefits and How
Utah counties pursuing R.S. 2477 road claims benefit because BLM cannot finalize or implement covered travel plans before those cases are resolved. Off-highway vehicle users benefit if existing access remains in place during the funding prohibition. Local recreation and tourism businesses benefit if road access in covered areas is preserved while litigation proceeds. State of Utah officials benefit from leverage in road-rights disputes with the federal government.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Bureau of Land Management cannot obligate or spend funds on covered travel management plans during the applicable period. Conservation groups bear a burden because travel-plan restrictions that could protect sensitive resources are delayed. BLM field offices in Utah must track which plans and areas are covered by the funding bar. Federal land managers must wait for R.S. 2477 cases to be adjudicated before implementing listed plans.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits federal funds from finalizing or implementing new Utah travel management plans for covered areas during the applicable period.
- Restricts implementation of specified Indian Creek, San Rafael Desert, San Rafael Swell, and Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges plans.
- Defines the applicable period by reference to adjudication of listed R.S. 2477 road-rights cases.
- Protects existing access positions for Utah counties and road users while litigation continues.
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
Bars the Interior Department from using federal funds to finalize or implement specified Utah travel management plans until listed R.S. 2477 road-rights cases are adjudicated.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Transportation, Outdoor Recreation
Primary Purpose
Bars the Interior Department from using federal funds to finalize or implement specified Utah travel management plans until listed R.S. 2477 road-rights cases are adjudicated.
Policy Domains
Bill provisions
Identified Gains
- Utah counties pursuing R.S. 2477 claims
- Off-highway vehicle users
- Local recreation businesses
- State of Utah officials
Identified Costs
- Bureau of Land Management
- Conservation groups
- BLM Utah field offices
- Federal land managers
Sponsors
Mike Lee
R-UT | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
ReportedCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported …
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, …
Mr. Lee (for himself and Mr. Curtis) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and …
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
State of Utah officials, Utah counties pursuing R.S. 2477 claims
Local recreation businesses, Off-highway vehicle users
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "blm"
- → Bureau of Land Management
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
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