S-1681-119
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 214.
Sponsored by Tim Kaine (D-VA)
What it does
This bill would establish the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, covering approximately 92,562 acres of existing National Forest System land in Virginia's George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It would also designate five new or expanded wilderness areas totaling roughly 33,857 acres within that boundary. The bill would ban new road construction, prohibit commercial timber harvesting (with limited exceptions), withdraw the land from mining and energy development, and direct the Forest Service to develop a trail plan and management plan within two years of enactment.
Who benefits
Hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, and other nonmotorized recreation users who would gain improved and expanded trail access. Conservation and wildlife organizations focused on protecting Appalachian ecosystems, including habitat for the Cow Knob salamander and other species. Municipalities and downstream communities that rely on the area's watersheds for drinking water quality. Tourism-dependent local businesses in the Shenandoah Valley region. Future generations who would benefit from preserved old-growth forest characteristics and scenic landscapes. Researchers and educators studying Appalachian biodiversity.
Who is hurt
Timber industry operators and logging contractors who would lose access to commercial harvesting on roughly 92,562 acres. Off-road vehicle and motorized recreation users, who would be restricted to existing roads only. Mineral extraction and energy development companies — including wind, solar, and geothermal operators — who would be barred from the designated area. Private landowners within the boundary who may face indirect constraints on adjacent land use, though the bill explicitly preserves their access rights. Hunters and anglers who use motorized access for backcountry travel. The Forest Service, which would bear administrative costs of developing trail and management plans without a specific appropriation in the bill.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the Shenandoah Mountain area contains some of the most ecologically significant and biologically diverse land in the central Appalachians, including rare species like the Cow Knob salamander found nowhere else on Earth, and that National Scenic Area and Wilderness designations are the most durable tools Congress has to protect these resources from incompatible development. They contend the bill balances conservation with continued public access by preserving existing roads, authorizing nonmotorized trail expansion, and explicitly allowing wildfire suppression, prescribed burns, and insect and disease management — addressing common concerns about overly rigid wilderness rules.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that locking nearly 93,000 acres of National Forest land into a scenic area designation — with an additional 34,000 acres of wilderness — removes significant flexibility for active forest management, including timber harvests that can reduce catastrophic wildfire risk and support rural economies in the surrounding region. They contend that the bill's narrow exceptions for timber removal are insufficient to address large-scale insect outbreaks or fire-adapted forest management needs, and that withdrawing the area from all energy development, including renewable energy, forecloses options that could serve both conservation and clean energy goals on already-federal land.