S. 90 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jan 14, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryPauses BLM road closures pending Utah lawsuits
The bill freezes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from closing historical roads on public lands in Utah until courts decide cases over road rights. Utah and 22 counties are suing to keep certain old roads open on federal land, claiming they have legal rights to those routes that go back to 1866. Until the lawsuits are settled, the BLM can't finalize new travel plans for several areas in Utah or spend federal money to implement four specific travel management plans.
How it affects you
If you live in Utah or use public lands there, this affects whether certain historical roads stay open or close. The bill pauses the BLM's ability to restrict access to these roads while the legal disputes play out, but doesn't decide the outcome—that's up to the courts.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 14, 2025)
Historic Roadways Protection Act
This bill prohibits the Bureau for Land Management (BLM) from closing historical roads on public lands in certain areas of Utah until the Federal District Court for Utah makes a decision on each of the R.S. 2477 cases, which are cases brought by Utah and counties to keep historical roads on BLM land in Utah open for public use.
By way of background, a provision of the Mining Law of 1866, commonly known as R.S. 2477, granted rights-of-way to states and counties across public lands for the construction of roads for public use in order to promote settlement of the American West. In 1976, Congress repealed R.S. 2477 when it enacted the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), but FLPMA preserved rights-of-way that had been established under R.S. 2477. After the BLM released travel management plans that closed some historical roads, Utah and 22 counties filed lawsuits about their rights-of-way across public lands for historical roads.
Until the BLM certifies that those cases have been decided, the bill prohibits the BLM from obligating or expending federal funds to (1) finalize or implement a new travel management plan for certain travel management areas in Utah; or (2) implement, with respect to land within the boundary of Utah, the Indian Creek (Canyon Rims) Travel Management Plan, the San Rafael Desert Travel Management Plan, the San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan, or the Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 90
A BILL
Historic Roadways Protection Act
Sponsor: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) · Introduced Jan 14, 2025 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Feb 4, 2026: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.”