(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) A measure to identify existing long-distance bike trails on federal land and create 10 new ones would cost about $1 million, according to a new analysis.
House Resolution 1319, the Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act, would direct the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior to identify at least 10 existing bicycle trails on federal land that are at least 80 miles long and 10 more potential such trails that could be developed within 18 months of being enacted.
The bill would allow the agencies to distribute maps, install signs and promotional materials highlighting the trails.The measure would cost $1 million over the 2023-2028 period for administrative costs and distribution of promotional materials, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency that produces hundreds of cost estimates for proposed legislation each year.
U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., John Curtis, R-Utah and Nevada Democrat Susie Lee re-introduced the measure in March.
U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, and Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, back it in the U.S. Senate with support from Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo.
The International Mountain Biking Association backed the measure.
“The BOLT Act will be instrumental in creating those iconic backcountry experiences and making them more accessible to people across the country,” IMBA Executive Director David Wiens said in a statement.
