Why it Matters

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining will hold a legislative hearing on Wednesday, July 15, to consider 15 bills that would reshape how the federal government manages public lands and energy development.

The legislation ranges from designating new wilderness areas in Colorado to requiring companies to help cover the costs of decommissioning offshore oil and gas infrastructure. The proposals reflect competing approaches to balancing conservation, resource development, and economic growth as the Trump administration prioritizes domestic energy production.

The Competing Bills

The Colorado Wilderness Act, reintroduced by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), would protect 720,000 acres from development. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) has also championed the CORE Act, which would establish new wilderness areas in the Tenmile Range, Hoosier Ridge, and Williams Fork Mountains. Both bills respond to concerns raised by DeGette's office about the potential sale of public lands under the Trump administration.

On the energy side, the subcommittee will also examine the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act (S. 1791), sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and cosponsored by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO). The bill would protect more than 300,000 acres of federal land in and around Gunnison County, Colorado, designate approximately 122,000 acres of new or expanded wilderness, prohibit commercial timber harvesting, and preserve existing water rights, grazing permits, and tribal treaty rights.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's (D-NV) Douglas County Economic Development and Conservation Act would transfer approximately 8,861 acres of federal land in Douglas County, Nevada, to the county at no cost while reserving an additional 1,084 acres for recreation. The bill would also designate the Burbank Canyons Wilderness while allowing continued livestock grazing and military overflights.

Geothermal development also features prominently. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's (D-NV) Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act would establish a geothermal ombudsman and permitting task force within the Bureau of Land Management. The Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act would authorize the Interior Department to recover administrative costs associated with geothermal leasing and operations through Sept. 30, 2032.

The Plug Offshore Wells Act, sponsored by Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), is primarily a transparency measure that would require annual reports to Congress on offshore well decommissioning. This comes as the Government Accountability Office found that as of June 2023, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement held approximately $3.5 billion in supplemental bonds to cover an estimated $40 billion to $70 billion in total decommissioning costs for offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

The Hearing Details

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, is chaired by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) serving as ranking member.

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