Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act
AI Summary
The Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act seeks to maintain and expand motorized vehicle access on federal lands by establishing a specific road density requirement for land to be considered 'disability-accessible.' The bill restricts the ability of the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to close existing roads, mandates the creation of replacement roads within one year of any closure, and exempts these management actions from environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Impact & Passage
Composite Passage Score
Medium confidenceBased on 3 of 5 available signals
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LLM-only estimate
This bill is likely to face significant opposition from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers due to its broad exemptions from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its prioritization of motorized vehicle use over conservation. While framed as a disability access initiative, the technical requirements—such as protecting unadjudicated R.S. 2477 claims and mandating road density—are long-standing partisan goals of Western conservative legislators that typically struggle to gain bipartisan support in a divided Congress.
Provisions
Designates the act as the 'Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act'.
Defines key terms, notably 'disability-accessible land' as public land having at least 2.5 miles of authorized roads per square mile.
Directs the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to prioritize updating their travel and motor vehicle use plans.
Sets strict limits on road closures, mandates that any closed road be replaced by a new one within a year, requires unadjudicated R.S. 2477 claims to stay open, and provides a categorical exclusion from NEPA for these actions.
Clarifies that the act does not allow new roads in Wilderness areas or National Parks, while confirming the agencies' authority to create new motorized trails elsewhere.
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Version History
Actions
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.