The Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act requires the Forest Service and Department of the Interior to prioritize keeping roads open on public lands to ensure adequate motorized and off-road vehicle access for people with disabilities. The bill defines "disability-accessible land" as any square mile of public land with at least 2.5 miles of roads open to motorized or off-road vehicles, and prohibits agencies from closing roads on such lands unless the roads were recently established for temporary needs or pose direct health and safety threats. For public lands that don't currently meet this standard, the bill requires agencies to consider reopening roads closed in the past ten years and generally prohibits new closures except for safety reasons or when roads impede wildfire response and search-and-rescue operations. The legislation also requires agencies to establish replacement roads within one year of any closure and streamlines environmental review for these decisions. The bill does not apply to designated wilderness areas, national parks, or roadless areas, and does not prevent agencies from creating new roads or trails for recreational use.
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