- Local governmentsCould boost outdoor recreation and tourism along the 280-mile corridor, potentially increasing local business revenue.
- Federal agenciesProvides a coordinated federal study to inform cross-jurisdictional land management and planning decisions.
- Targeted stakeholdersMay promote conservation and protection of scenic, historic, and natural resources along the bench.
A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
This bill amends the National Trails System Act to add the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the list of trails for which the Secretary of the Interior must conduct a feasibility study.
The trail is described as roughly 280 miles from the Idaho–Utah border to Nephi, Utah, following the historic Lake Bonneville bench.
The text directs study feasibility only; it does not itself designate the trail or appropriate funds.
Very narrow, low-cost study direction with local benefits usually wins bipartisan support, though procedural hurdles remain.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill clearly identifies a single subject for study and specifies the statutory insertion point, but provides minimal procedural, fiscal, or accountability detail.
Liberals emphasize conservation, access, and tribal consultation.
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
- Federal agenciesStudy and potential designation could increase federal involvement in state and private land use decisions.
- Targeted stakeholdersConducting the study will incur administrative costs for the Department of the Interior.
- Permitting processFormal designation later could impose new regulatory constraints or permit requirements on private landowners.
Why the argument around this bill splits.
Liberals emphasize conservation, access, and tribal consultation.
Likely generally favorable: views a feasibility study as a low‑risk step toward protected public access, recreation, and habitat connectivity.
Would press for strong environmental, equity, and tribal consultation in the study and for protections if designation follows.
Cautiously supportive: sees the study as a reasonable, incremental step to assess feasibility, costs, and stakeholder impacts.
Wants clear scope, cost estimates, and coordination with state and local governments before endorsement of designation.
Skeptical: wary that a federal study is the first step toward federal designation that could affect private property rights and local control.
May accept a narrowly scoped study only if it explicitly protects private landowners and limits federal acquisition.
The path through Congress.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Very narrow, low-cost study direction with local benefits usually wins bipartisan support, though procedural hurdles remain.
- No cost estimate or timetable for the study provided
- Potential local landowner or jurisdictional objections unknown
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Go deeper than the headline read.
Liberals emphasize conservation, access, and tribal consultation.
Very narrow, low-cost study direction with local benefits usually wins bipartisan support, though procedural hurdles remain.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill clearly identifies a single subject for study and specifies the statutory insertion point, but provides minimal procedural, fiscal, or accountability detail.
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.