This bill would add two river segments in Vermont to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act list for formal study. It names an approximately 22-mile segment of the main stem of the Nulhegan River (from headwaters near Nulhegan Pond to the Connecticut River, including the North, Yellow, Black, and East Branches) and an approximately 18-mile segment of Paul Stream (from headwaters on West Mountain to the Connecticut River, including tributaries). The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study of those segments and to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees. The study must be finished within 3 years after funds are made available. Sponsors are Senators Peter Welch and Bernie Sanders. The bill was introduced May 1, 2025, and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
The bill does not itself add federal protections or change land management. It authorizes a federal study to examine whether these river segments should be added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and requires a report to Congress. The study timeline begins when funding is provided and must be completed within three years after that funding is available.
The bill requires funds to be made available to start the study and sets a three-year reporting deadline after funding is provided. No publicly available information on estimated expenses or funding amounts.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.