Proposed federal legislation that would ban new road construction and ski area expansion in the Cottonwood Canyons is headed to the Holladay City Council for a work session Thursday.

Lindsey Nielsen, executive director of the Central Wasatch Commission (CWC), will brief the council on the Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act (CWNCRA), according to the city's meeting agenda.

The CWNCRA would prohibit new road construction and ski area expansion on Forest Service land in the tri-canyon area covering Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood and Millcreek canyons. The four ski resorts operating in the Cottonwood Canyons on federal land would keep their existing permits, and the land within those permits would be exempt from the new designation, according to the CWC's explainer on the legislation.

Maintenance and reconstruction of existing roads would still be allowed. State highways SR 210 and SR 190 would not be altered, and the Utah Department of Transportation would retain its easements, rights-of-way and avalanche-control authority.

The bill would also expand existing wilderness areas and create a new Mount Aire/Grandeur Peak Wilderness Area, adding roughly 8,000 acres of new wilderness. Those designations would make the affected lands ineligible for sale, a provision the CWC says addresses recent congressional efforts that could put about 29,000 acres of Forest Service land in the Central Wasatch on the market.

The legislation traces back to the Mountain Accord Charter signed in 2015. Congressman Jason Chaffetz introduced the first version in 2016, but it stalled in the House Natural Resources Committee. The CWC, formally established in 2017, is now redrafting the bill and targeting a congressional introduction by 2027.

That timeline has drawn scrutiny. Sandy's city council voted 5-2 on June 16 to withdraw its $95,000 annual CWC membership fee, citing a decade of stalled progress, as the Sandy Journal reported.

Nielsen appealed to Sandy lawmakers before that vote. "Stakeholders are back at the negotiation table, and I am imploring you to just stick with us for two more years," Nielsen said at the June 16 Sandy meeting, according to the Sandy Journal.

Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski vetoed the withdrawal, but the council overrode her veto on July 7.

Holladay Councilmember Emily Gray serves as the city's representative on the CWC board. The CWNCRA affects only federally owned Forest Service land; private property within the boundaries would not change hands or lose access.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at Holladay City Hall, 3330 S. 1300 E. Residents can submit written comments by email to [email protected] by 5 p.m. that day with the subject line "Public Comment," or attend in person.