Sec. 301. Management of Covered Areas
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No new permanent road construction shall be permitted in a covered area unless otherwise designated under section 102(c)(3)(B) or 202(d)(2). Except as necessary for administrative purposes, the protection of health and safety, the control of fire, insects, or diseases, to facilitate cultural uses, or to provide reasonable access to private property, no temporary road construction shall be permitted in a covered area. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall decommission any road in a covered area that has not been designated on the Map or in the applicable travel management plan for the covered area.
Except as provided in paragraph (2), the use of motorized vehicles in a covered area shall be permitted only on roads that are designated on the Map or in the applicable travel management plan for the covered area. The use of motorized vehicles may be allowed in a covered area on roads not described in paragraph
(1)if the use is necessary— for administrative purposes; to respond to an emergency; for Tribal religious or cultural practices; or for grazing in accordance with subsection (d). Subject to valid existing rights, all Federal land within a covered area, including any land or interest in land that is acquired by the United States within the covered area after the date of enactment of this Act, is withdrawn from— all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under public land laws, including the issuance of new rights-of-way on, under, or through the applicable Federal land; location, entry, and patent under mining laws; and operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. If the Secretary acquires additional land within a covered area or the withdrawal area after the date of enactment of this Act, the acquired land is withdrawn from operation of the laws referred to in paragraph
(1)on the date of acquisition of the land. The grazing of livestock in a covered area, as established before the date of enactment of this Act, shall be permitted to continue— subject to such reasonable regulations, policies, and practices as the Secretary considers necessary; in accordance with applicable law; and in a manner consistent with the purposes of the applicable covered area described in section 101(b) or 201(b). Nothing in this Act prohibits the Secretary, in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, as appropriate, from conducting any measures necessary to control wildland fire, insects, and diseases in a covered area, consistent with the purposes of this Act. Ecological restoration in a covered area may be permitted— if necessary to protect, maintain, or enhance the applicable covered area (including the protection of traditional food or material gathering); for any purposes necessary to control wildland fire, insects, and diseases; and to support the resilience of watersheds and wildlife habitat. Ecological restoration under paragraph
(1)shall be carried out in a covered area— subject to such reasonable regulations, policies, and practices as the Secretary considers necessary; in a manner consistent with the purposes of the applicable covered area as described in section 101(b) or 201(b); and in accordance with applicable law. The Secretary may acquire any land or interest in land within the boundary of a covered area or contiguous to a covered area, as depicted on the Map, by donation, purchase from a willing seller, or exchange. Any land or interest in land acquired under paragraph
(1)shall— if the acquired land or interest in land is within the Santa Fe National Forest, become part of the Special Management Area; or if the acquired land or interest in land is not located within the Santa Fe National Forest, become part of the Conservation Area. The Secretary of the Interior may acquire any land or interest in land within the boundary of the withdrawal area, as depicted on the Map, by donation, purchase from a willing seller, or exchange. The Secretary shall ensure adequate law enforcement presence in a covered area with respect to law enforcement matters under the jurisdiction of the Secretary to maintain the integrity of the covered area. Nothing in this Act limits or otherwise affects the civil or criminal regulatory jurisdiction, including law enforcement, for issues under the jurisdiction of an Indian Tribe. In developing a management plan for a covered area, the Secretary may consider provisions for increased penalties for unauthorized activities in the covered area, including littering, vandalism, damage to cultural sites, and unauthorized recreational shooting. The Secretary shall ensure that visitors to a covered area have access to adequate notice relating to designated routes, roads, and prohibited uses in the covered area through— the placement of appropriate signage along designated routes, parking areas, trailheads, or any other highly visited area, including notice of penalties for prohibited uses; and the distribution of maps, safety education materials, and other information that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.