H.R. 1839: Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2014

113th Congress · introduced 2013-05-06 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 524.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-05-06 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Tipton, Scott R. [R-CO-3] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 524. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2014

Plain summary

Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2014 - (Sec. 4) Permits specified federal lands in San Juan National Forest in Colorado to be called the Hermosa Creek Watershed and Protection Area. (Sec. 5) Designates certain federal lands in a proposed watershed protection area in San Juan National Forest to be administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area. Authorizes in the Special Management Area, subject to conditions, specified activities including: (1) the use of motorized vehicles and snowmobiles, and (2) grazing and other traditional economic activities. Prohibits an area identified as East Hermosa Area from having unauthorized new road construction, renovations of existing nonsystem roads, or commercial timber harvests. Requires any land interests acquired by the United States within the Special Management Area to occur only through donation or exchange with written consent of the property owner. Declares that nothing in this Act affects: (1) Colorado's fish and wildlife jurisdiction, or (2) management of water storage reservoirs. Withdraws federal land within the Special Management Area from: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under mining laws; and (3) disposition under mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials laws. Sets forth authority for the management of ski area permits, vegetation, wildfires, hazardous fuels, insects, and diseases in the Special Management Area. Requires USDA, within three years after enactment of this Act, to develop a management plan for the long-term protection and management of the Special Management Area. (Sec. 6) Prohibits designation of the Special Management Area from affecting water rights decreed under existing Colorado laws. (Sec. 7) Designates certain San Juan National Forest land as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System to be known as Hermosa Creek Wilderness. (Sec. 8) Withdraws federal land and mineral interests depicted on a map entitled "Perins Peak & Animas City Mountain, Horse Gulch and Lake Nighthorse Mineral Withdrawal" from certain acts under public land, mining, mineral, and geothermal laws. Permits USDA to convey that land to the city of Durango, the county of La Plata, or the state of Colorado pursuant to the Recreation and Public Purposes Act or by a legal exchange. (Sec. 9) Directs the Department of the Interior, upon the expiration of a specified permit and upon the request and agreement of La Plata, to convey to La Plata identified land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Tres Rios District in Colorado. Directs Interior to require La Plata to pay administrative costs associated with such conveyance. (Sec. 10) Designates certain San Juan County land as the Molas Pass Recreation Area. Authorizes snowmobiles in the area under specified conditions and requires USDA to authorize mountain biking and other recreational uses. Designates as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System certain San Juan National Forest land depicted as "Weminuche Wilderness Addition" on a map entitled "West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area." Transfers administrative jurisdiction of that land from the BLM to the Forest Service. (Sec. 11) Declares that nothing in this Act restricts low-level overflights of military aircraft, flight testing and evaluation, special use airspace, or military flight training routes over wilderness areas.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House with amendment(s)), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2014

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House with amendment(s))

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Tipton, Scott R. [R-CO-3] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House with amendment(s))
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr1839.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr1839 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113