Cheney seeks to abolish some Wyoming wilderness study areas

Legislation backed by Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney would remove certain protections for some federal public lands in the state.

The House Natural Resource Committee recently approved the bill removing wilderness study area designations for large areas of Big Horn, Lincoln and Sweetwater counties.

The committee’s 19 Republicans voted for the bill while the 11 Democrats voted against it. The bill now heads to the full U.S. House for possible consideration.

A wilderness study area is an area that could qualify for designation as a wilderness, where no human development or even machinery is allowed. If approved, the bill would remove wilderness study area designations from some 625 square miles (1,600 square kilometers) of federal land in Wyoming.