H.R. 7254

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7254 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7254

To amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bay 
Area Ridge National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 27, 2026

Mr. Huffman (for himself, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. 
Thompson of California, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Simon, Mr. 
Liccardo, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Swalwell, and Mr. Panetta) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

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 Bay 
Area Ridge National Scenic Trail, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that the Bay Area Ridge Trail--
(1) is a scenic nonmotorized multi-use trail that extends 
approximately 550 miles;
(2) consists of approximately 415 completed miles and 
another approximately 140 miles of the route are yet-to-be 
completed;
(3) is located near the urban areas of the Nation, and 
allows people access to the scenic ridgelines of the Bay Area;
(4) provides maximum outdoor recreation potential to a 
large diverse population and many year-round visitors to the 
Bay Area;
(5) provides for the enjoyment of nationally significant 
scenic, historic, and cultural qualities including the Pacific 
Ocean, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, State and local 
parks, among others;
(6) passes through a diversity of environments, including 
marsh, grassland, mountain, canyon, rivers, and forests;
(7) includes landforms that exhibit significant 
characteristics, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the San 
Andreas fault, volcanic areas, geologic formations, and 
wetlands; and
(8) connects with side trails and regional connector trails 
such as the Bay Trail, Vine Trail, and Coyote Creek Trail, 
which provide additional public access and connect to major 
population centers.

SEC. 2. BAY AREA RIDGE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL FEASIBILITY STUDY.

Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(50) Bay area ridge national scenic trail.--
``(A) In general.--The Bay Area Ridge National 
Scenic Trail, a multi-use trail extending approximately 
550 miles along the ridgelines of the hills and 
mountains surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area in 
Northern California and connecting over 75 parks and 
open spaces.
``(B) Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary of 
Interior, in consultation with interested 
organizations, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail 
Council, shall complete and submit to Congress the 
feasibility study for designating the Bay Area Ridge 
Trail as a national scenic trail.
``(C) Consultation.--The study under this paragraph 
shall be conducted in consultation with each Federal 
and State agency that administers lands through which 
the trail described in subparagraph (A) passes.''.
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