WEBINAR – Protecting Railbanking Against Congressional Attack
Railbanking, established in 1983 as an amendment to the National Trails System Act, is the foundational law making possible thousands of miles of rail-trails nationwide. Recently, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would effectively destroy the viability of railbanking going forward, resulting in fragmented and lost corridors—and poses a threat to thousands of miles of existing rail-trails. The so-called “Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act” was reintroduced as H.R. 4924 on Aug. 8 and includes even more damaging provisions than a previous version of the bill introduced in 2024. This bill is an unconstitutional attack on railbanking, violating Fifth Amendment rights, masquerading as a series of process improvements that are anything but.
RTC’s policy staff hosted this conversation about the implications of the “anti rail-trail bill” and your role in helping to stop its progress.
Related Links
- Educate decision-makers about railbanking and its importance to your region using the following resources:
Learn more about railbanking on RTC’s Trail-Building toolbox page
You can find specifics about H.R. 4924 and how it threatens railbanking in this factsheet:
For help identifying railbanked trails in your region, email railtrails@railstotrails.org.
Find out if your member of Congress is on the Natural Resources Committee or the Federal Lands Subcommittee
If your member of Congress is on the Natural Resources Committee, contact Isabelle Lord at isabelle@railstotrails.org. - Don’t know your member of congress? Click here to search
Click here to learn more and register for the Trail Nation Summit. Registration ends October 10th!
Read RTC’s report, Railbanking and Rail-Trails: A Legacy for the Future - To stay updated on all railbanking news and resources, join RTC’s email alert system here: https://www.railstotrails.org/collabsignup
RTC’s TrailNation Collaborative, Trail Development and Policy teams produce a free webinar series designed to help trail professionals build, grow, manage, maintain, promote or otherwise support trails and trail networks. Sign up here to get webinar alerts.
Have a comment or question on our webinar series? Contact us below with topic or speaker ideas. We appreciate your feedback! Email us.
Donate
Everyone deserves access to safe ways to walk, bike, and be active outdoors.