Report Card: The 116th Congress on Public Lands Legislation

At The Mountaineers, we work with lawmakers and partners to shape legislation that supports public lands and the outdoor experience - and provide you with opportunities to make your voice heard. At the beginning of every Congress (a two-year term), we give you a "Legislative Trip Map": a summary of bills we're tracking that impact our public lands. Here's a Report Card on the 116th Congress (2019-2020): read on to learn what happened to the bills you've advocated for.

We achieved two big conservation wins in the 116th Congress: first, in 2019 Congress passed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which included a number of pieces of legislation The Mountaineers shaped and advocated for. Our community specifically took over 5,200 individual actions to champion causes included in the public lands package. 

In 2020, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act, the most  significant conservation funding bill in decades. The legislation includes measures The Mountaineers has spent years advocating for, including finally ensuring full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as well as establishing new funding to restore and maintain public lands.

It's rare to pass one big conservation and recreation bill in a Congress, but two is virtually unheard of. These victories prove that when people speak on behalf of the places they care about, lawmakers listen. That's why we all need to stay informed, get engaged, and take action. 

Several other bills we supported made significant progress but didn't pass this Congress. Learn more about where these priorities ended up and look for more opportunities to engage on these issues and more in the next Congress. To stay in loop, follow us on Facebook and sign up for our  Conservation Currents enewsletter. You should also take our Public Lands 101 eLearning course to expand your understanding of the U.S. public lands system and how to advocate for wild places!

Bills we advocated for that passed in March 2019 as part of the public lands package:

• Methow Headwaters: PASSED

• Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area: PASSED

• Permanent Reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund: PASSED

Bills we advocated for that passed in august 2020 as part of the great american outdoors act:

• permanent funding of the land and water conservation fund: PASSED

• restore our parks and public lands act: PASSED

Legislation we supported in the 116th congress

Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act (S. 1665/H.R. 3879)

Organized groups (like volunteer-based clubs like The Mountaineers, guides and outfitters, outdoor education organizations, and college and university programs) need a permit to take people to national parks, national forests, and other federal lands for activities like hiking, climbing, and water sports. Getting a permit is tricky and often impossible for these groups. The unintended consequence is fewer people get to enjoy these public lands or learn to love outdoor recreation, undermining local economies, and less support for these wild places. We are proud to have worked on this bill that would improve these processes and help fix the current inefficient and unpredictable recreational permitting system that creates barriers for people to experience the outdoors through organized programs. A huge thank you to Washington’s Senator Patty Murray for cosponsoring the Senate bill, and to Representatives Kilmer and DelBene for their support in the House! We are proud to have such great Washington support of this bill. Read more here.

What happened?

• House and Senate hearings: In fall 2019, the SOAR Act had a hearing in the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Hearings are important steps for a bill to move through the legislative process to eventually become a law. Read more here.
• House committee passage: In July 2020, the SOAR Act passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources! Read more here.

what's next?

We made great progress with the SOAR Act during the 116th Congress, but ultimately it failed to pass the full House and did not advance in the Senate. We plan to work with the bill sponsors to reintroduce the bill in the 117th Congress.

Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (S.1382/H.R. 2642)

If you’re a Mountaineer, there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed the Olympic National Forest. Old growth trees, lush rain forests, ocean views, and towering mountains—the area’s list of scenic wonders goes on. This Act would designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest and designate rivers in the Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as Wild and Scenic. We've been working with a dedicated coalition to advocate for this legislation, which would result in nearly 127,000 acres of new Wilderness in Olympic National Forest and 19 new Wild and Scenic Rivers. We thank Senator Patty Murray and Representative Derek Kilmer for their leadership on this legislation. Read more here.

what happened?

The House passed the Wild Olympics bill as part of a larger lands package not once but twice! In winter 2020, that lands package (the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act) passed the House. In fall 2020, it was included as part of the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass piece of legislation. Ultimately, despite hundreds of messages to lawmakers sent by our community, the public lands provisions were not included in the final version of the NDAA.

what's next?

Our congressional champions have told us that Wild Olympics is at the top of the priority list to address in the next Congress, and we’ll continue to work to make these wilderness protections a reality.

Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2019 (S.1311/H.R. 2491)

The Roadless Rule protects wild backcountry landscapes like the Liberty Bell Roadless area in Washington State from timber harvesting and new road development. This bill would permanently codify the Roadless Rule. Thank you to Senator Maria Cantwell for continuing to champion wild places by introducing S. 1311. Read more about the Roadless Rule, and what it means for our wild places, in this piece that we worked on with our partners at Outdoor Alliance.

what happened?

Although the Roadless Area Conservation Act did not pass, the Roadless Rule was a hot issue in the 116th Congress. In fall 2020, the federal administration exempted the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from the Roadless Rule. Not only are we concerned about the future of the magnificent Tongass rainforest, but the decision would set a terrible precedent for areas protected by the Roadless Rule in Washington state. Learn more here.

what's next?

Passing the Roadless Area Conservation Act will remain a top priority for the 117th Congress, and we will also urge the incoming administration to reverse the Tongass decision.

Recreation Not Red-Tape Act (S. 1967/H.R. 3458)

We support this bipartisan bill that will help ensure that more Americans have ready access to outdoor experiences on national public lands through numerous provisions including directing land managers to evaluate landscapes for recreational value, adding a recreation mission to agencies currently lacking one and would help facilitate stewardship opportunities. Thank you to Congressman Kilmer for co-sponsoring this bill in the House. Read more on this bill from Mountaineers Advisory Council Member Thomas O'Keefe.

what happened?

• House and Senate hearings: In fall 2019, the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act had a hearing in the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Hearings are important steps for a bill to move through the legislative process to eventually become a law. 
• House committee passage: In July 2020, parts of the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act were included in the version of the SOAR Act that passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

what's next?

We made great progress during the 116th Congress, but ultimately the bill failed to pass the full House and did not advance in the Senate. We expect the bill to be reintroduced in the 117th Congress.