Route 66 Gets Historic Trail Status, But Feds Can’t Use Eminent Domain or Block Energy Projects

The Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act officially establishes the legendary 2,400-mile stretch of US Highway 66—from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California—as a National Historic Trail. The National Park Service (NPS) is now in charge of managing this iconic route, covering all the different alignments it took between 1926 and 1985. For anyone who loves road trips, history, and the kitschy roadside architecture that defines Route 66, this is big news, putting the route under the umbrella of the National Trails System.

The NPS Takes the Wheel, But With Strict Limits

This bill tasks the Secretary of the Interior, through the NPS, with managing the trail. They are specifically required to handle it in a way that respects the "unique, quirky character" Route 66 is famous for. However, the legislation puts up some serious guardrails against federal overreach. First, the government is completely barred from using eminent domain or condemnation to acquire land for the trail. If the NPS wants a piece of land or an easement, they have to get the owner to agree to sell it voluntarily. Second, they can only acquire property within an average of one-quarter mile on either side of the trail. This is a clear win for private property owners along the route, ensuring the federal designation doesn't force anyone off their land.

No Buffer Zones Means No Federal Control Over Neighbors

Here’s where the rubber meets the road for local businesses and landowners. The bill explicitly states that this designation does not create any “buffer zones.” This means the federal government cannot regulate or control what people do on land outside the trail boundaries, even if their activities can be seen or heard from the trail itself. For example, if a landowner a quarter-mile away decides to put up a new billboard or build a large, modern structure, the NPS has zero authority to stop them, even if it clashes with the historic aesthetic. This provision (Section 2) ensures the designation doesn't impose new federal zoning or permitting requirements on local communities.

Energy Projects Get a Green Light

Another critical provision ensures that the new historic trail designation will not “stop, hinder, or disrupt current or future energy projects.” This includes building or maintaining pipelines or renewable energy infrastructure. This is a significant carve-out that protects energy developers. While the goal of the trail is preservation, the law makes it clear that preservation cannot interfere with energy development. This means you could potentially see a wind farm or a new oil pipeline easement running right alongside or across the historic route, and the NPS cannot use the trail designation to object or slow it down.

Respecting Tribal Sovereignty

One non-negotiable requirement for the NPS is timely and meaningful consultation with all affected Indian Tribes before taking any action that would significantly impact them (Section 2). This ensures that as the NPS develops management plans for the trail, which crosses numerous historical lands, the cultural and sovereign rights of Tribal Nations are respected. This is a crucial procedural safeguard that must be followed before any major trail development moves forward.

In short, this bill finally gives Route 66 the official historic status it deserves, bringing the NPS in to help manage and promote it. But it does so with a very light regulatory touch, prioritizing property rights and energy development over broad federal control or aesthetic buffer zones. It’s a preservation effort that knows its lane and sticks strictly to the road.