HR-3451-119
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Sponsored by Mike Kennedy (R-UT)
What it does
This bill would amend the National Trails System Act to add the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the list of trails the Secretary of the Interior must study for potential national designation. The trail is a roughly 280-mile system of existing and proposed trails running from the Idaho-Utah border south to Nephi, Utah, along the ancient shoreline bench left by prehistoric Lake Bonneville. The bill authorizes only a feasibility study — it would not designate the trail or commit any specific funding.
Who benefits
Hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and outdoor recreationists in Utah who use or would use the trail. Local tourism-dependent businesses in communities along the trail corridor. Conservation and land trust organizations that support trail connectivity. The state of Utah and local governments that could gain federal partnership and resources if the trail is eventually designated. Future trail users who would benefit from a more formally connected and maintained route.
Who is hurt
Private landowners along the trail corridor who may face future access negotiations or land-use restrictions if the trail is eventually designated. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) users who currently use portions of the corridor and could face restrictions under a national trail designation. Local governments that may bear administrative or coordination costs during the study process. Taxpayers who would fund the study, though the cost is expected to be modest.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a regionally significant recreational corridor already used by hundreds of thousands of Utahns, and that a federal feasibility study is a low-cost, no-commitment first step toward potential national recognition. They contend that national trail designation has historically brought federal resources, improved trail maintenance, and increased tourism revenue to surrounding communities, as seen with other National Recreation Trails across the country.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that adding the trail to the federal study list is a precursor to eventual federal oversight of land that is currently managed effectively at the state and local level, potentially burdening private landowners along the corridor with access disputes or use restrictions. They contend that the study process consumes Interior Department resources that could be directed toward maintaining already-designated trails, and that Utah's existing trail management infrastructure makes federal involvement unnecessary.
Constitutional context
No significant constitutional issue is raised by this bill. Congress has broad authority under the Property Clause (Art. IV, §3, cl. 2) to manage federal lands and under the Commerce Clause to regulate recreational use of interstate trails. A feasibility study alone does not trigger regulatory takings concerns under the Fifth Amendment, though any future designation affecting private land could raise such questions.
Checks and balances
The executive branch (Secretary of the Interior) gains a study mandate from Congress; Congress retains authority over any subsequent designation, meaning no trail designation or land-use change can occur without further legislative action.
Historical precedent
Congress has repeatedly used this mechanism under the National Trails System Act to study trails before designation; for example, the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail both began as feasibility studies added to Section 5(c) before receiving full designation.