Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Steve Pearce introduced H.R. 3478, the Luna and Hidalgo Counties Wilderness Study Area Release Act of 2015. The bill would return certain wilderness study areas (WSA's) in Luna and Hidalgo Counties -- deemed unsuitable for federal wilderness designation -- to the BLM so that they may be used for other purposes.

The BLM previously conducted studies to see if the areas covered in this bill should be designated as wilderness. The studies concluded that these areas are unsuitable for wilderness, but under current law and regulations they cannot be utilized by the BLM until Congress acts. For this reason, such areas are still managed as wilderness areas, which is one of the most restricted categories of federally managed lands. By shutting off large parcels of land from investment, use or development, this has had an extremely negative impact on job creation in the mainly rural communities that border them.

"These lands have now been sitting in limbo for over 20 years," said Pearce. "It benefits no one to arbitrarily restrict lands from the public. Allowing the BLM to open up these lands for multiple uses will not only benefit communities economically, but also restore habitats and watersheds, increase revenues, and create jobs. Utilizing this land will truly benefit communities across New Mexico. It will also make government more effective by allowing regulators to focus on the management and protection of the wilderness they already have. It is time for Congress to act and to allow local communities to benefit from these lands."

This bill is supported by the Luna County Commission, the Hidalgo County Commission as well as the Deming and Hidalgo Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Introduction has gained recognition from local officials, including:

"Despite the fact that these WSA's were not recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS), the study designation has not been removed and is negatively affecting the multiple use and economic viability of those lands. I thank Congressman Pearce for working with counties throughout southwestern New Mexico to return these lands, allowing for desperately needed economic development, as well as activities that will improve the health of the land. This is a no-brainer for New Mexico."
- Luna County Manager Tink Jackson

"These WSA's are not beneficial in any way whatsoever to the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens. I appreciate Congressman Pearce for spearheading the effort to fix this problem, which will allow for much needed economic development in southwestern New Mexico."

- Hidalgo County Commissioner Darr Shannon

Wilderness Study Areas were first created through The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. In the 40 years since the inception of the program, the BLM has studied millions of acres of land, at one time holding over 25 million acres in WSA status. As of today, the BLM manages 521 WSA's covering over 12.5 million acres across the Western United States.