Key Wyoming Public Lands Priorities Move Forward

November 18, 2021

Barrasso’s legislation to help Wyoming ski communities and improve public land mapping advances out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) advanced two pieces of legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) that are key Wyoming public lands priorities. Both bills passed committee by voice vote.

The first bill was the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development (SHRED) Act. This legislation will invest in outdoor recreation in mountain communities by ensuring National Forests retain a portion of the annual fees that ski areas operating within their boundaries pay to support local recreation and community priorities. 

The committee also passed the Modernizing Access to our Public Land (MAP Land) Act. The legislation will enhance access to the nation’s outdoor recreational opportunities by digitizing and standardizing mapping information like access points and permissible uses on federal public lands.

“Key Wyoming public lands priorities are moving forward,” said Barrasso. “The SHRED Act will help make the Forest Service a better partner to Wyoming’s ski communities. By creating a dedicated account for the Forest Service fees our ski resorts pay, they’ll be able to use these funds to improve facilities, protect the forests, and support the economy. The MAP Land Act will provide America’s sportsmen and women with easily accessible digital maps and information to better access and enjoy our public lands. I will continue to work to get these important bills passed by the full Senate.” 

Background Information: 

The SHRED Act is also sponsored by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and is cosponsored by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), James Risch (R-ID), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Steve Daines (R-MT). 

On May 13, 2021, Barrasso wrote an op-ed in the Casper Star Tribune titled “The MAP Land Act will Make Accessing Wyoming’s Federal Lands Simpler and Safer.” 

The MAP Land Act is sponsored by Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Angus King (I-ME). In addition to Barrasso, the legislation is cosponsored by the chairman of the ENR Committee, Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jon Tester (D-MT), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO). 

The MAP Land Act is supported by many in the conservation and sportsmen community, including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and Trout Unlimited.

 

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