Pine Forest Range Recreation Enhancement Act of 2013
Key claim: This Senate bill would designate specified BLM land in Humboldt County, Nevada, as the Pine Forest Range Wilderness, allow fire, insect, and disease control there, drop leftover wilderness-study reviews, and authorize local land exchanges.
Abstract
(S342 · 113th Congress) Pine Forest Range Recreation Enhancement Act of 2013 - Designates specified federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Humboldt County, Nevada, and to be known as the Pine Forest Range Wilderness, as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to take necessary measures in such wilderness to control fire, insects, and diseases. Releases BLM land in any part of the Blue Lakes and Alder Creek wilderness study areas not designated as wilderness by this Act from further study for wilderness designation. Authorizes land exchanges involving identified federal and non-federal lands in Humboldt County. Latest action (2013-06-27): Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 113.
Why this matters
Wilderness designations lock in the most restrictive federal land-use category — barring roads, motorized use, and most commercial activity — while releasing ‘wilderness study areas’ does the opposite by freeing land for multiple use including grazing, mining claims, and mechanized recreation. The Pine Forest bill packages both moves plus a land exchange, illustrating the typical Nevada-style compromise between conservation and local development interests. Its status (introduced, 2013) matters for tracking which such deals actually reach enactment.