To amend the Military Land Withdrawals Act of 2013 to withdraw and reserve certain public land in the vicinity of Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8686 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8686

  To amend the Military Land Withdrawals Act of 2013 to withdraw and
  reserve certain public land in the vicinity of Yuma Proving Ground,
                                Arizona.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2026

  Mr. Gosar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
  Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on
   Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend the Military Land Withdrawals Act of 2013 to withdraw and
  reserve certain public land in the vicinity of Yuma Proving Ground,
                                Arizona.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. WITHDRAWAL AND RESERVATION OF LANDS LOCATED ON THE YUMA
              PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, TO SUPPORT MILITARY READINESS
              AND SECURITY.

    The Military Land Withdrawals Act of 2013 (title XXIX of Public Law
113-66; 127 Stat. 1025) is amended by adding at the end the following
new subtitle:

               ``Subtitle H--Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona

``SEC. 2999B. WITHDRAWAL AND RESERVATION OF PUBLIC LAND.

    ``(a) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights and except as
otherwise provided in this subtitle, the public land (including
interests in the land) described in subsection (b), and all other areas
within the boundary of the land depicted on the map described in that
subsection that may become subject to the operation of the public land
laws, is withdrawn from--
            ``(1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under
        the public land laws;
            ``(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws;
        and
            ``(3) disposition under all laws relating to mineral and
        geothermal leasing.
    ``(b) Description of Land.--The public land (including interests in
the land) referred to in subsection (a) consists of--
            ``(1) the approximately 21,782.981 acres of Federal land--
                    ``(A) generally depicted as `Highway 95 - Requested
                Withdrawal Area' on of the map titled `U.S. Army Yuma
                Proving Ground Withdrawal Highway 95 Withdrawal Area',
                sheet 2 of 3, dated March 12, 2025; and
                    ``(B) excluding the approximately 800 acres of
                subsurface estate owned by the State of Arizona within
                the area generally depicted as `Surface Only
                Withdrawal/Subsurface Owned by Non-Federal Entity' on
                the map described in subparagraph (A); and
            ``(2) the approximately 249.29 acres of Federal land
        generally depicted as `Howard Cantonment - Requested Withdrawal
        Area' on the map titled `U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
        Withdrawal Howard Cantonment Withdrawal Area', sheet 3 of 3,
        dated March 12, 2025.
    ``(c) Reservation; Purpose.--The land described in subsection (b)
is reserved for use by the Secretary of the Army for the purposes
specified in Public Land Order No. 848 of July 1, 1952, and as
authorized under section 2914.

``SEC. 2999C. MANAGEMENT OF WITHDRAWN AND RESERVED LAND.

    ``(a) Applicable Laws.--The Secretary of the Interior shall manage
the land withdrawn and reserved by section 2999B in accordance with--
            ``(1) subtitle A and this subtitle;
            ``(2) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
        (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
            ``(3) any other applicable law.
    ``(b) Authorized Activities.--To the extent consistent with
applicable law and Executive orders, the land withdrawn and reserved by
section 2999B may be managed in a manner that permits the following
activities:
            ``(1) Conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat.
            ``(2) Preservation of cultural properties.
            ``(3) Management of wild horses and burros.
            ``(4) Control of predatory and other animals.
            ``(5) Recreation, public access, and hunting.
            ``(6) Prevention and appropriate suppression of brush and
        range fires resulting from non-military activities.
    ``(c) Nondefense Uses.--Subject to subsection (d), all nondefense-
related uses of the land withdrawn and reserved by section 2999B, shall
be subject to any conditions and restrictions that the Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of the Army jointly determine to be
necessary to permit the defense-related use of the land for the
purposes described in this section.
    ``(d) Issuance of Leases and Other Land Use Authorizations.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall be
        responsible for the issuance of any lease, easement, right-of-
        way, permit, license, or other instrument authorized by law
        with respect to any activity that traverses both--
                    ``(A) the public land withdrawn and reserved by
                section 2999B; and
                    ``(B) any other land in the vicinity of the land
                withdrawn and reserved by section 2999B that is not
                under the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary
                of the Army.
            ``(2) Consent required.--Except as specified in section
        2999E, any lease, easement, right-of-way, permit, license, or
        other instrument issued under paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) only be issued with the consent of the
                Secretary of the Army; and
                    ``(B) be subject to such conditions as the
                Secretary of the Army may require with respect to the
                land withdrawn and reserved by section 2999B.

``SEC. 2999D. ASSIGNMENT OF MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY TO SECRETARY OF
              THE ARMY.

    ``(a) Authority To Assign Management Responsibility.--The Secretary
of the Interior may assign the management responsibilities for the land
withdrawn and reserved by section 2999B to the Secretary of the Army.
    ``(b) Applicable Law.--On assignment of the management
responsibility under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Army shall
manage the land in accordance with--
            ``(1) subtitle A and this subtitle;
            ``(2) title I of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a et seq.);
            ``(3) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
        (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.);
            ``(4) cooperative management arrangements entered into by
        the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Army;
        and
            ``(5) any other applicable law.

``SEC. 2999E. UTILITY CORRIDOR.

    ``(a) Issuance of Utility Rights-of-Way.--Notwithstanding
subsections (c) and (d) of section 2999C, the Secretary of the Interior
may issue rights-of-way within the Bureau of Land Management designated
Parker-Blaisdell Utility Corridor under the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) for any critical
regional-grid level utility infrastructure to include above-ground
transmission lines, consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding
between the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land
Management Yuma Field Office and United States Army Garrison Yuma
Regarding the Yuma Proving Ground Highway 95 Withdrawal, dated February
28, 2025.
    ``(b) Limitation on Delegation.--The authority to issue a right-of-
way under subsection (a) may not be delegated below the level of the
Bureau of Land Management State Director.
    ``(c) Army Consent Not Required.--The decision to issue a right-of-
way under subsection (a) is not subject to consent by the Secretary of
the Army; however, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with
the Secretary of the Army, shall incorporate conditions in any right-
of-way issued under subsection (a) as much as practicable to minimize
impacts to the mission of the Army.
    ``(d) Limitation.--The authority to issue rights-of-way under
subsection (a) may not be assigned to the Secretary of the Army.

``SEC. 2999F. DURATION OF WITHDRAWAL AND RESERVATION.

    ``The withdrawal and reservation of public land made by section
2999B shall be in effect for--
            ``(1) an indefinite period; or
            ``(2) until the Secretary of the Army determines that there
        is no longer a military need for the withdrawal and
        reservation.''.
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