Bolts Ditch Access and Use Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4510) to insure adequate use and access to the existing Bolts Ditch headgate and ditch segment within the Holy Cross Wilderness in Eagle County, Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4510

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Bolts Ditch Access and Use Act''. SEC. 2. BOLTS DITCH ACCESS.

(a) Access Granted.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall permit by special use authorization nonmotorized access and use, in accordance with section 293.6 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, of the Bolts Ditch headgate and the Bolts Ditch within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, as designated by Public Law 96-560, for the purposes of the diversion of water and use, maintenance, and repair of such ditch and headgate by the Town of Minturn, Colorado, a Colorado Home Rule Municipality.

(b) Location of Facilities.--The Bolts Ditch headgate and ditch segment referenced in subsection (a) are as generally depicted on the map entitled ``Bolts Ditch headgate and Ditch Segment'', dated November 2015.

Since 1882, the town of Minturn, Colorado, has used Bolts Ditch to fill Bolts Lake, a place of recreation for the town and an important source of water for the surrounding community. When Congress passed the Colorado Wilderness Act in 1980, 450 feet of Bolts Ditch was inadvertently included in the Holy Cross Wilderness area, which led to questions about the town's ability to access this important infrastructure. After a discussion amongst stakeholders, the town agreed to seek a legislative solution to address this access issue.

This bipartisan bill simply allows the Forest Service to issue a special use permit to the town of Minturn to allow nonmotorized access to maintain a headgate and water ditch in the Holy Cross Wilderness. This bill ensures the town will have access to Bolts Ditch for basic maintenance needs. H.R. 4510 was developed in consultation with the community and the Forest Service, and it enjoys support from a wide range of groups in the region.

I urge the adoption of the bill.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers on this piece of legislation.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this is important infrastructure for this community in Colorado.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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