{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mikekennedy.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-kennedy-and-crank-co-lead-bill-protect-access-public-land-recreation", "Reps. Kennedy and Crank Co-Lead Bill to Protect Access for Public Land Recreation", "2026-03-25", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Mike Kennedy", "K000403", "mikekennedy.house.gov", "mikekennedy", "https://mikekennedy.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Mike Kennedy (UT-03) and Congressman Jeff Crank (CO-05) introduced the Public Lands Access Restoration Act (PLARA) to restore broad access to public lands for recreation.\n\nBefore 2005, public lands generally operated under an \u201copen unless posted closed\u201d policy, meaning roads and trails were available for uses consistent with existing land use plans, including hiking, biking, and motorized access for hunting, angling, and other recreation. This approach provided broad and predictable access across public lands.\n\nSince the policy was reversed in 2005 through agency action and not at the direction of Congress, many previously used roads and trails were not included in agency inventories during travel management planning, resulting in an immediate loss of access for the motorized community. Access has continued to decline as agencies have designated fewer routes as open.\n\n\u201cUtahns have watched 1,500 miles of trails be restricted under a federal rule that was designed without us in mind,\u201d said Congressman Mike Kennedy. \u201cPublic lands should be open to the public; it is that simple. PLARA restores this common-sense standard, giving Utahns recreational access to the landscapes that have defined us for generations.\u201d\n\n\"America\u2019s public lands support a wide range of recreation uses,\" said Congressman Crank. \"The Public Lands Access Restoration Act will limit restrictions of motorized access to concerns over resource protection and public safety. This bill expands opportunities for Coloradans and all Americans to access and enjoy our public lands. Thank you to Rep. Kennedy for co-leading this bill, and to the Trails Preservation Alliance, headquartered in Colorado's Fifth Congressional District, for bringing this issue to our attention.\"\n\n\"Colorado\u2019s population is larger than ever and still growing while opportunities for motorized recreation on roads and trails continue to shrink,\u201d said Chad Hixon, Executive Director of TPA. This isn\u2019t an issue of overuse, it\u2019s an issue of over-concentration driven not by a lack of trails, but by a lack of access to them. We are grateful to Rep. Crank and Rep. Kennedy for recognizing this problem and introducing a bill to solve the problem and open access to responsible riders.\u201d\n\n\u201cPublic lands work best when they serve a wide range of users,\" said Becky Leinweber, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance. \"By improving the process for maintaining and designating routes, this bill supports responsible motorized access while ensuring decisions remain grounded in resource protection and public input\u2014benefiting all who recreate on our public lands.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of motorized recreational businesses and the millions of off-road enthusiasts who support the industry, SEMA and ORBA thank Reps. Crank and Kennedy for introducing the Public Lands Access Restoration Act,\u201d said Karen Bailey-Chapman, the Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). This bill offers an important policy shift to ensure that BLM- and Forest Service-managed lands are open to motorized vehicles unless there is a justifiable resource protection or public safety need to prohibit motorized access. We strongly support the return to an 'open unless posted closed' policy on public lands.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of motorized recreational businesses and the millions of off-road enthusiasts who support the industry, SEMA and ORBA thank Reps. Crank and Kennedy for introducing the Public Lands Access Restoration Act,\u201d said Karen Bailey-Chapman, the Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). This bill offers an important policy shift to ensure that BLM- and Forest Service-managed lands are open to motorized vehicles unless there is a justifiable resource protection or public safety need to prohibit motorized access. We strongly support the return to an 'open unless posted closed' policy on public lands.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nThe Public Lands Access Restoration Act (PLARA) would restore motorized access on public lands while improving transparency in land management.\n\nCodifies the policy of \u201copen unless posted close\u201d in the U.S. Forest service and Bureau of Land Management trails and roads.\n\nLimits restrictions of motorized access to concerns over resource protection and public safety\n\nAny restrictions are subject to a 30-day comment period and apply to the smallest area for the least amount of time;\n\nMust be clearly identifiable with signage and included on updated official maps in both digital and printed form;\n\nReviewed on a 5-year basis to redetermine justification.", 1, "2026-06-17T06:49:24Z", "2026-06-17T06:50:53Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mikekennedy.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-kennedy-and-crank-co-lead-bill-protect-access-public-land-recreation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8812490850687027, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}