The Border Lands Conservation Act directs federal land agencies to manage federally owned land along the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to support border security operations. Under the bill, the Departments of Interior and Agriculture must inventory existing roads, build new navigable roads on federal lands near the borders, and install surveillance and detection technology in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. The legislation modifies wilderness protection rules to allow Homeland Security to use vehicles, aircraft, and build infrastructure within wilderness areas for border security purposes, and grants broad access rights to the department within 100 miles of either border. Additionally, the bill establishes a Border Fuels Management Initiative to reduce wildland fire risk and invasive species on border lands, and requires multiple agencies to submit reports within one year documenting environmental damage and safety issues caused by illegal border crossings. The bill affects states bordering Mexico or Canada, border-adjacent federal lands, and federal land management agencies, though it protects existing legal uses like grazing and mining and does not apply to tribal or private lands.
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