Continental Divide Trail Completion Plan

Full Title:
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Completion Act

Summary#

This bill directs the federal land agencies to prioritize finishing the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (a long-distance hiking route) and to plan how to complete it. It requires the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to create a joint Trail Completion Team, produce a comprehensive development plan, and seek partnerships with volunteers and nonprofits. The goal is to try to make the trail a continuous route within 10 years, subject to available funding.

  • Main change: Agencies must form a joint Trail Completion Team and complete a comprehensive development plan within specified timeframes.
  • Agencies must seek to finish the Trail as a continuous route within 10 years of the law, but only if Congress provides money.
  • The plan must identify trail gaps, consider easements from willing sellers, and include site-specific development plans with estimated costs.
  • The agencies are encouraged to work with volunteer and nonprofit groups and to consult Federal, State, Tribal, local governments, landowners, and other local users.
  • The bill does not give any new power to seize land (no eminent domain) and does not make Trail land acquisition a higher priority than other authorized acquisitions.

What it means for you#

  • Hikers and outdoor users: The Trail Completion Team and plan could lead to a more continuous Continental Divide Trail and more developed trail sections over time. This could make long-distance travel along the route easier if gaps are closed.
  • Nearby landowners: The bill emphasizes using easements from willing sellers. Agencies cannot use new condemnation authority for Trail land because the bill keeps existing acquisition limits. This means landowners would generally choose whether to sell or grant easements.
  • Tribal governments and Indigenous communities: The bill requires consultation with Tribal governments. It does not detail how consultation will work or how Tribal concerns will be addressed.
  • Local and State governments: They may be consulted and could be asked to coordinate on trail routing, access, or infrastructure. Local planning or permitting could be affected where the trail crosses jurisdictional boundaries.
  • Volunteer and nonprofit trail groups: The bill encourages formal agreements with such groups, which could increase their role in trail construction and maintenance.
  • Federal land managers (Forest Service and BLM): Must form a joint team, prepare a development plan within three years after team start, and identify gaps, easement options, and cost estimates. Workload could increase.
  • Taxpayers: Any spending depends on future appropriations. The bill does not directly create new mandatory spending.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

  • The bill is explicitly subject to the availability of appropriations, so Congress would need to provide money for planning, easements, construction, and staffing.
  • Likely cost categories (not estimated in the bill): staff and coordination for the Trail Completion Team; preparation of the comprehensive development plan; purchase of easements from willing sellers; trail construction, signage, and facilities; ongoing maintenance.
  • The bill forbids using new eminent domain authority beyond existing law, which may limit options and affect costs (e.g., reliance on willing-seller easements could be more or less expensive depending on negotiations).
  • Partnerships with volunteers and nonprofits could reduce some labor costs but would not remove the need for federal planning and oversight funds.

Proponents' View#

  • The bill appears intended to speed up and focus federal work to finish the Continental Divide Trail as a single, continuous route.
  • Supporters may argue that a formal Trail Completion Team and a required development plan will make planning more coordinated across agencies.
  • Requiring the plan to identify gaps and easement opportunities could help target where funds or partner efforts should go.
  • Encouraging partnerships with volunteer and nonprofit groups could increase community involvement and reduce some federal labor costs.
  • Setting a 10-year target provides a clear timetable for planning and action, subject to funding.

Opponents' View#

  • One concern is cost: the bill requires planning and likely construction and land transactions but does not provide a fiscal estimate or guaranteed funding.
  • The bill depends on voluntary land acquisitions and easements. Because it disallows new eminent domain authority, completion could be slow if landowners refuse to sell or negotiate.
  • The language for consultation includes unusual or unclear terms (for example, it refers to "land-grant mercedes owners and users"), which may create confusion about who must be consulted.
  • The bill does not specify how Tribal consultation will be carried out or how Tribal land or cultural resource concerns will be resolved.
  • It is unclear how the Trail Completion Team will balance Trail completion against other land acquisition priorities, since the bill says Trail acquisitions are not to be placed over other authorizations.