PUBLIC Lands Act | ChamberLight

IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS

Senate BillS 3526Environmental assessment, monitoring, researchForests, forestry, trees

PUBLIC Lands Act

INTRO DEC 17· LAST ACTION FEB 12

READING

85MIN

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Passed House

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Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

This bill matters because it addresses several critical issues facing California's natural environments. By focusing on forest restoration and fire management, it directly impacts the safety of communities prone to wildfires, which have become a devastating annual concern. If passed, it means more controlled burns and fuel breaks that could reduce the intensity and spread of future fires.

It also significantly expands access to outdoor recreation, which can improve public health and provide economic boosts to rural areas through tourism. The designation of new protected areas means that unique ecosystems, water sources, and wildlife habitats will be preserved for current and future generations. Without this bill, these specific restoration efforts, new recreational amenities, and conservation designations for these particular California lands would not move forward.

KEY PROVISIONS

5AI-extracted

PROVISION 01

Establishes the 871,414-acre South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area to focus on forest health, fire resilience, and habitat protection.

This creates a dedicated, large-scale effort to address critical issues like wildfire risk and ecosystem health in a significant part of California.

PROVISION 02

Creates the California Public Land Remediation Partnership to clean up federal lands damaged by illegal activities, such as illicit marijuana cultivation.

This provision aims to reverse environmental degradation caused by illegal operations, restoring land and water quality.

PROVISION 03

Authorizes the creation of new recreation trails, including the Bigfoot and Elk Camp Ridge National Recreation Trails, and new visitor centers.

This expands opportunities for outdoor recreation and improves infrastructure for visitors to enjoy California's natural areas.

PROVISION 04

Requires collaborative restoration and updated fire management plans for the South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area, including the use of prescribed fire and shaded fuel breaks.

This mandates proactive strategies to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health, developed with input from various stakeholders.

PROVISION 05

Indicates the designation of new wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, and special management areas (details truncated in provided text).

These designations offer strong, long-term protection for specific natural landscapes, preserving biodiversity and ecological processes.

SPONSORSHIP

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ACTION TIMELINE

3 EVENTS

FEB 12

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

COMMITTEE

DEC 17

Introduced in Senate

INTROREFERRAL

DEC 17

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8836)

INTROREFERRAL

BILL INFO

TypeSenate Bill

NumberS 3526

Congress119th

StatusIn Committee

IntroducedDec 17, 2025

Last actionFeb 12, 2026

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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED DEC 17, 2025

Senate BillS 3526Environmental assessment, monitoring, researchForests, forestry, trees

PUBLIC Lands Act

INTRODUCED DEC 17, 2025· LAST ACTION FEB 12, 2026

PASSAGE CHANCES

—%

READING

85 min

COSPONSORS

COMPLEXITY

Moderate

Call my reps

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

STEP 2 OF 8

Introduced

In Committee

Reported

Passed Senate

Passed House

Conference

To President

Became Law

Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed Senate
Passed House
Conference
To President
Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

KEY PROVISIONS

AI-extracted

high

Establishes the 871,414-acre South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area to focus on forest health, fire resilience, and habitat protection.

This creates a dedicated, large-scale effort to address critical issues like wildfire risk and ecosystem health in a significant part of California.

med

Creates the California Public Land Remediation Partnership to clean up federal lands damaged by illegal activities, such as illicit marijuana cultivation.

This provision aims to reverse environmental degradation caused by illegal operations, restoring land and water quality.

med

Authorizes the creation of new recreation trails, including the Bigfoot and Elk Camp Ridge National Recreation Trails, and new visitor centers.

This expands opportunities for outdoor recreation and improves infrastructure for visitors to enjoy California's natural areas.

high

Requires collaborative restoration and updated fire management plans for the South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area, including the use of prescribed fire and shaded fuel breaks.

This mandates proactive strategies to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health, developed with input from various stakeholders.

high

Indicates the designation of new wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, and special management areas (details truncated in provided text).

These designations offer strong, long-term protection for specific natural landscapes, preserving biodiversity and ecological processes.

DEADLINES & DATES

AI-extracted

An AI model extracted this from the bill’s official record and can make mistakes. Check the official text ↗ (opens in new tab)

Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act

Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior shall jointly submit a restoration plan and an updated fire management plan for the South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area to Congress.

GLOSSARY

AI-written

Federal land: Land that is owned and managed by the United States government.
Restoration: Actions taken to return a degraded or damaged ecosystem, such as a forest or river, to a healthier and more natural condition.
Shaded fuel break: An area in a forest where vegetation (like small trees and brush) is thinned out to reduce the amount of material that can burn, but larger, shade-providing trees are kept to help control new growth and moderate temperatures. This helps make fires easier to control.
Wilderness area: A designated federal land area managed to preserve its natural condition, typically allowing only non-motorized recreation and prohibiting permanent structures or commercial activities.
Wild and Scenic River: A river or section of a river designated by Congress for protection due to its outstanding natural, cultural, or recreational values, preventing dam construction or other harmful development.
Anadromous fisheries: Fish populations, such as salmon, that are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to grow, and then return to freshwater to spawn.
Ecological integrity

ACTION TIMELINE

3 EVENTS

FEB 12

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

COMMITTEE

DEC 17, 25

Introduced in Senate

INTROREFERRAL

DEC 17, 25

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8836)

INTROREFERRAL

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Committee Referrals

Energy and Natural Resources CommitteeReferred

Dec 17, 2025

senate

Related Hearings

Business meeting to consider S.140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, S.332, to require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.789, to require reports on critical mineral and rare earth element resources around the world and a strategy for the development of advanced mining, refining, separation, and processing technologies, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1088 and H.R.2290, bills to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1288, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area in the State of New York, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1547, to amend title 54, United States Code, to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2437 and H.R.3857, bills to amend the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act, S.2753, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals of concern, S.3500 and H.R.3657, bills to amend the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to annually submit to Congress a report on the status of ongoing hydropower relicensing applications, S.3518, to amend the Federal Power Act to address certain alterations in, and the maintenance and repair of, project works, to provide for the licensing of micro hydrokinetic energy projects, S.3526, to provide for the protection of and investment in certain Federal land in the State of California, S.3693, to extend the authorization for a large-scale water recycling and reuse grant program, S.3723, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System, S.3732, to amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to authorize assistance under the storage program, S.3736, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System service area in the States of South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, S.3743, to direct the Secretary of

Energy and Natural Resources Committee (senate)Jun 10, 2026

Video

Business meeting to consider S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1088, to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1175, to amend section 6903 of title 31, United States Code, to provide for additional population tiers, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2554, to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, S.2754 and H.R.5911, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the City of Ouray, Colorado, certain land managed by the Forest Service, together with a reservoir, S.3526, to provide for the protection of and investment in certain Federal land in the State of California, S.3725, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to expand the capacity and reach of the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System, Inc. (doing business as "Lewis &amp; Clark Regional Water System"), in the States of Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, S.3732, to amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to authorize assistance under the storage program, H.R.249, to redesignate certain facilities at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in honor of Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr, and the nominations of William Hague, of Washington, to be an Assistant Secretary, Kevin Lilly, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, both of the Department of the Interior, and Kaveh Farzad, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (International Affairs).

Hearings to examine S.462, to provide for economic development and conservation in Washoe County, Nevada, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1464, to withdraw certain Bureau of Land Management land from mineral development, S.1497, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to establish the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and to modify the boundary of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, S.1981, to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to utilize grazing for wildfire risk reduction, S.2417, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a special use permit with respect to the maintaining of a flagpole bearing the flag of the United States at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point, Utah, S.2554, to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, S.2754, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the City of Ouray, Colorado, certain land managed by the Forest Service, together with a reservoir, S.2787, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to ensure that ranchers who have grazing agreements on national grasslands are treated the same as permittees on other Federal land, S.2860, to unleash United States offshore critical minerals and resources, S.2968, to ensure access to certain public land, S.3004, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management land to the city of Price, Utah, S.3082, to prohibit oil and natural gas exploration, development, and production in certain areas of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, S.3493, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in Carson City, Nevada, S.3526, to provide for the protection of and investment in certain Federal land in the State of California, S.3527, to release from wilderness study area designation certain land in the State of Montana, to improve the management of that land, S.3695, to amend Public Law 96-586 to modernize the authority of the Forest Service to acquire and administer land under that Act, H.R.204, to require that the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior submit accurate reports regarding hazardous fuels reduction activities, H.R.677, to establish a process to expedite the review of appeals of certain decisions by the Department of the Interior, H.R.952, to convey the reversionary interest of the United States in certain land in Sacramento, California, H.R.1829, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, H.R.3872, to amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals, H.R.3937, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

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PUBLIC Lands Act

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PUBLIC Lands Act

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WHAT THE BILL DOES

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