YourVoice.Now Summary
Environmental ConcernsAverage Household ImpactTransparency & AccountabilityCreates a 92,562-acre Shenandoah Mountain scenic area in Virginia, including about 33,900 acres of new wilderness.
Environmental Concerns
- Protected acreage — About 92,562 acres of national forest designated a national scenic area
- Wilderness designation — Roughly 33,900 acres added across five wilderness areas
- Timber harvesting — Barred inside the scenic area except for safety, fire, and pest control
- Mining and mineral leasing — Federal land in the area withdrawn from location, entry, and leasing
- Renewable energy development — Wind, solar, and other projects barred inside the area
- New road construction — No new roads permitted after enactment
- New utility corridors — Designation of new rights-of-way and communications sites barred
Average Household Impact
- Recreation access — Existing uses continue and a nonmotorized trail plan is due within two years
- Municipal water supply — New dams or reservoirs still allowed where needed for municipal use
Transparency & Accountability
- Public input — The trail plan must seek input from interested parties and the public
- Reporting requirements — An implementation report to Congress is due within two years
The details
About 92,562 acres of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia would become the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. Inside it, five tracts totaling roughly 33,900 acres get full wilderness protection — the strictest status federal land can carry. Among the stated reasons is the Cow Knob salamander, which lives along the ridge above 3,000 feet. The designation also targets water quality and forests that may grow into old growth. Commercial logging would end inside the scenic area. Exceptions remain for fire control, public safety, trail access, overlooks, and pest outbreaks, and residents could still cut firewood along the roads for personal use. The land would be closed to mining, oil and gas leasing, and wind, solar, or other renewable energy development. New utility corridors and communications sites are also barred. No new roads may be built, though nothing already there is closed by the designation. Existing recreation continues, and the Forest Service is directed to improve it. Within two years the agency must publish a nonmotorized trail plan shaped by public input, including a specific connector along the Tillman Road corridor. A management plan follows on the same deadline, as an amendment to the existing forest plan. Private landowners keep access to their property. Virginia keeps the right to maintain the access road to the mountain crest, and new reservoirs stay possible where a town needs the water.
Congressional Summary
Shenandoah Mountain ActThis bill establishes the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, consisting of approximately 92,562 acres of National Forest System land in Virginia in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.The bill designates specified lands in the forest as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, including (1) 5,088 acres as the Skidmore Fork Wilderness, (2) 3,568 acres as the Lynn Hollow Wilderness, (3) 12,461 acres as the Little River Wilderness, and (4) 5,779 acres as the Beech Lick Knob Wilderness.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-10-27
- Date Added
- 2026-07-28
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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