House Advances 12 Natural Resources Bills Saving Sequoias, Designating America’s Newest National Park and Rebuilding the Grand Canyon

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives advanced legislation to save Giant Sequoias, create a new National Park in Arizona, aid wildfire recovery efforts on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and support tribal sovereignty. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement:

"The House Committee on Natural Resources has been hard at work stewarding American lands and resources. The Save Our Sequoias Act passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, bringing us closer to enacting urgent management tools to mitigate the extreme risks threatening ancient Giant Sequoias. We also passed legislation that will support wildfire recovery efforts, create a new National Park in Arizona for future generations to enjoy, provide new economic opportunity for Indian tribes and more. I thank my colleagues for their work in moving these bills forward."

Background

H.R. 831, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025, introduced by U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), will allow the non-federal portion of the available funds for the program to be placed into an interest-bearing account. This action will help offset the effect of inflation without any additional funding needed from either federal or non-federal partners.

H.R. 1665, the Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy (DIGITAL) Applications Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), requires the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to create online portals for submitting applications for broadband deployment. This will bring important transparency and accountability to the application system and increase broadband access across federal lands.

H.R. 2196, the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), extends the National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Memorial Foundation's legislative authority to complete a memorial to fallen EMS personnel for an additional seven years.

H.R. 2294, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell (R-Miss.), reauthorizes the Integrated Ocean Observing System, a public-private partnership of coastal observation systems that collect data to inform decision making along our nation's coasts and in marine waters.

H.R. 2709, the Save Our Sequoias Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Vince Fong (R-Calif.), provides land managers with the emergency tools and resources needed to save Giant Sequoias from the unprecedented peril threatening their long-term survival. In 2020 and 2021, wildfires wiped out 20 percent of the world's mature Giant Sequoias.

H.R. 3073, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), clarifies that civil cases that involve the Shivwits Band of Paiutes that occur on their lands fall under the jurisdiction of the State of Utah. It also amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to allow the tribe to lease land held in trust for up to 99 years.

H.R. 5729, the North Rim Restoration Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to utilize emergency acquisition and contracting authorities to rebuild areas of Grand Canyon National Park impacted by last year's Dragon Bravo Fire.

H.R. 6380, the Chiricahua National Park Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), establishes the Chiricahua National Park in the State of Arizona, as the state's fourth national park.

H.R. 528, the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), requires the Department of the Interior to carry out priority reforestation projects with non-federal partners following wildfires and other natural disasters. A version of this legislation was included in the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act that passed the House last year in the wake of devastating fires in Los Angeles County, Calif.

H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), amends the Small Tract Act of 1983 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey, without consideration, parcels of federal land, used or previously used as cemeteries, to state and local governments, Indian Tribes and qualified land grant-merced communities.

H.R. 4467, the Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), authorizes the conveyance of 7 acres of National Park Service land to the State of Mississippi for the construction of a new welcome and interpretive center at Vicksburg National Military Park.