Business meeting to consider S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.858, to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1363, to provide for greater cooperation and coordination between the Federal Government and the governing bodies and community users of land grant-mercedes in New Mexico relating to historical or traditional uses of certain land grant-mercedes on Federal public land, S.1377, to ensure the maintenance of a herd of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, S.1470, to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to prioritize the completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, S.1787, to establish the Dolores River National Conservation Area and the Dolores River Special Management Area in the State of Colorado, to protect private water rights in the State, S.1860, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Brian Head Town, Utah, certain National Forest System land, S.2015, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage and expand the use of prescribed fire on land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with an emphasis on units of the National Forest System in the western and southeastern United States, to acknowledge and support the long-standing use of cultural burning by Indian Tribes and Indigenous practitioners, S.2016, to exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, S.2033, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, S.2262, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to clarify the nature of public investment for purposes of certain rulemaking, S.2273, to amend the Act of July 10, 1890, to modify certain provisions relating to the disposal of public land in the State of Wyoming for educational purposes, S.2546, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
2025-12-17
Source: Congress.gov
Summary
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Participants
Transcript
The committee will come to order. Today the committee will hold a markup on 12 bills brought forward by our colleagues. I thank all the senators on the committee for their attendance. Out of respect for the schedules of each of our committee members, as soon as we have our reporting quorum present, I'll ask the committee to begin voting. The bills that we'll take up today are S-1860, the Bryanhead Town Land Conveyance Act, S-858, the Herschel Woody Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, S1363, the New Mexico Land-Grant Mercedes Historical Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act. S1377, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act. S1470, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Act. S1787, Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act. S2015, the National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025. S-2016, the Chugash Alaska Land Exchange Oil Spill Recovery Act of 2025. S-2033, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act. S-2262, the American Voices in Federal Lands Act. S-2273, the Wyoming Education Trust Modernization Act. And S-2546, which extends the authority for the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work. All right, we don't yet... Yeah, I'll filibuster for a moment. Today, the committee meets to consider a series of targeted and very community-driven measures. These are narrow, these are practical, They address real needs in real places. I want to spend a moment on one bill on today's agenda, the Brian Head Land Conveyance Act.
Brian Head is a mostly sleepy ski town in southern Utah. Its permanent population is modest, only about 150, 151 residents as of the 2020 census. But while its population may be modest, its responsibilities are not. During the winter season alone, Bryant had seized more than 300,000 visitors who come to ski and recreate. So a town of 151 people ends up hosting 300,000 people during a relatively short ski season. That kind of seasonal surge puts enormous strain on local infrastructure, especially public safety. Now, right now, the town operates its public works facility on Forest Service land under a special use permit. The permit does not allow for expansion. As a result, essential equipment is stored outdoors. Snow removal vehicles, public safety equipment, and the town, these are all assets that the town happens to depend on to keep its residents safe and its visitors coming and safe while they're there. Exposure has accelerated wear and tear. This has created some safety risks, and it has limited the town's ability to prepare for winter conditions. This bill would fix that. It would convey a 24-acre parcel adjacent to the town boundary, enabling Bryanhead to expand and modernize its public works facility. Nothing more, nothing less. It's important to be clear about what this land is. It's Forest Service land, but it's land that the Forest Service itself has acknowledged does not have forestry characteristics. At a recent hearing, our witness from the Forest Service explicitly stated that there are safety concerns facing the town and the Forest Service supports the bill. It's targeted. It's a targeted solution to a well-documented, undisputed problem, a problem that the Forest Service agrees exists and a solution that the Forest Service supports.
The goal here is simple. Just give the town the ability to safely store its own equipment, improve winter preparedness, protect residents, protect visitors, and support a growing recreation economy on which the region depends. That's what the bill does. Now, I want to step back a moment, say a word about the process. If the ranking member is good with it, I may interrupt my remarks, push pause, and go ahead and vote while we have a reporting quorum present. Thank you. Our first items of business will be amendments to improve seven bills on the agenda that have been worked on with members and staff, and I want to thank Ranking Member Heinrich for his work on this.
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