Route 66 National Historic Trail

Summary#

This bill would add the Route 66 National Historic Trail to the National Trails System. The trail would include all known alignments of U.S. Highway 66 that existed between 1926 and 1985. The route runs about 2,400 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, as shown on a map dated December 2017 that will be kept on file at the Department of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior would administer the trail and must consult with affected Indian Tribes before actions that would have substantial direct impacts on them. The United States may not acquire private land for the trail without the owner’s consent, may not use eminent domain, and may not acquire interests that extend on average more than one-quarter mile on either side of the trail. The bill says the trail designation does not create a buffer zone, does not limit activities on land outside the trail even if visible from the trail, and does not stop energy development, production, transportation, or transmission. The designation would not make the trail or its land part of the National Park System for certain mineral leasing rules. The bill also says the designation does not change existing authority to grant easements or rights-of-way and does not add new federal permits that would not otherwise apply.

What it means for you#

  • A historic designation would formally recognize the historic alignments of Route 66 and place the route on the National Trails System map kept by the Department of the Interior.
  • Private landowners along or near the route would not have land taken by eminent domain for this trail under the bill. Federal acquisition of private land would require owner consent and would generally be limited to about one-quarter mile on each side of the route on average.
  • Activities conducted on private or other land outside the trail would not automatically be limited by the designation, even if those activities can be seen or heard from the trail.
  • Energy projects and related development, transportation, and transmission would not be prohibited or disrupted by the trail designation, according to the bill text.
  • Federal agencies keep their existing authority to grant easements and rights-of-way over federal land where the trail is located. New federal permits tied to the trail designation would not be required by this bill.
  • The Department of the Interior must consult with affected Indian Tribes before actions that would have substantial direct effects on those Tribes.

Expenses#

No publicly available information. The bill text does not include cost estimates or funding provisions and does not cite a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score.

Proponents' View#

Sponsors listed in the bill metadata include Senators Ted Cruz, Tammy Duckworth, Alex Padilla, Eric Schmitt, Mark Kelly, and Ben Luján. The bill text establishes the designation, describes how the trail will be administered, and contains limits on land acquisition, eminent domain, new permits, and effects on energy development and easements.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.