Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Feb 23, 2009
Backcountry Landing Strip Access Act - Prohibits the Secretaries of the Interior or Agriculture from taking any action that would permanently close, restrict, or render or declare unserviceable any aircraft landing strip located on land under their jurisdiction unless: (1) the action has been approved by the head of the aviation department of the state in which the landing strip is located; (2) the Secretary publishes notice of the proposed action and provides for a 90-day public comment thereafter; and (3) the Secretary and appropriate state aviation department head have taken into consideration any comments received.
Requires the Secretaries to: (1) establish a nationwide policy for governing backcountry aviation issues relating to the management of federal land under the jurisdiction of the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture; and (2) require officials with jurisdiction over such land to adhere to such policy.
Requires private and publicly-owned aircraft land strips acquired by the government to be made available to the public for unrestricted use.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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