Colorado Wilderness Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 147, I call up the bill (H.R. 803) to designate certain lands in the State of Colorado as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
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Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 803, the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act.
I first want to thank Chairman Grijalva for his incredible leadership of the House Natural Resources Committee, and for bringing his Grand Canyon Protection Act to the floor today as part of the bill that we will be considering.
I have been honored to work alongside Chair Grijalva on the Natural Resources Committee and I am looking forward to continuing that work as the chair of the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee this Congress.
The bill that we are considering today unifies eight standalone proposals as H.R. 803, the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act. Representative DeGette, who is the primary sponsor, Representative Huffman, Representative Chu, Representative Carbajal, Representative Schiff, and Representative Kilmer, have all worked tirelessly to advocate for the places in this bill, and I am looking forward to hearing more from them during today's debate.
Now, before I get carried away with the beauty of Colorado, I would like to acknowledge the product of our combined efforts: 1.5 million acres of wilderness; 1,200 miles of protected wild and scenic rivers; permanent mineral withdrawals for the Grand Canyon and Colorado's Thompson Divide.
Each title of this bill considers how best to protect public lands and provide for local considerations. Together, they will improve access to clean water, clean air, outdoor recreation and, yes, they will even support jobs and our economy.
Protecting public lands is a key part of the climate solution, and I am proud to say that we continue those protections here today with the formal support of the Biden administration.
My contribution to this bill is the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, or the CORE Act. Through collaboration, consultation, negotiation, local elected officials, community members, businesses, outdoor recreation and conservation groups, ranchers, sportsmen, they have all come together to protect the outdoor areas in Colorado that we love.
In many cases, Coloradans have been asking Congress to protect these areas for a decade or longer. In total, the CORE Act would conserve more than 400,000 acres of public land, and each the CORE Act's four sections were separately crafted by Coloradans.
Camp Hale is one of the special places protected by the CORE Act. High on Colorado's Continental Divide, surrounded by the White River National Forest, the CORE Act would designate the first-ever National Historic Landscape at Camp Hale to honor the storied legacy of the Army's 10th Mountain Division.
The soldiers that trained at Camp Hale led our Nation to victory in World War II, then went on to create the modern outdoor industry, which today contributes billions to Colorado's growing outdoor recreation economy.
To similar ends, the CORE Act formally establishes numerous boundaries, also a handful of National Park Service units without a formal designation by Congress, which would be in this bill. This long overdue designation will provide new fishing access, for example, for sportsmen in the Gunnison River basin.
And in yet another win for Colorado sportsmen, the CORE Act protects Colorado's only migration corridor over Interstate 70 for elk, mule deer, and other wildlife.
These areas are just a small sampling, Mr. Speaker, of the many non- wilderness and locally supported protections included in this bill today.
Additionally, the CORE Act makes a contribution of 73,000 acres to our National Wilderness Preservation System. The CORE Act wilderness protects some of Colorado's most iconic peaks, including two fourteeners: Wilson Peak and Mount Sneffels.
And of the 400,000 acres of public lands covered by the CORE Act, about half is for the withdrawal and protection of the Thompson Divide.
The Thompson Divide, through ranching and outdoor recreation, contributes $30 million a year to Colorado's statewide economy. It is one of our most treasured landscapes and an area that is simply too valuable to drill for oil and gas.
The thoughtful input and collaboration put into the CORE Act is apparent in each title of the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act.
Now, my colleagues may have ideological differences when it comes to protecting our public lands, but what we can all agree on is that the United States is blessed with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. And it is thanks to the careful consideration of the legislators that came before us and the legislators that are gathered here today on the floor that we are able to enjoy them today, and that our children will be able to enjoy them tomorrow.
So I urge my colleagues to consider the decades of work that have gone into the bill that is before us and to recognize the chance that we all have to vote to protect these places.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, before I yield, I would be remiss if I didn't say with respect to Colorado in particular, and with much respect to the ranking member, the Outdoor Alliance sent a letter to Chairman Grijalva just a few days ago in support of this bill. It was signed by the CEO of the International Mountain Bicycling Association, so I think they would have much to disagree with, with respect to some of the statements that were made.
Finally, I will also say, every bill that is a component of this measure was marked up in the last Congress, heard in the last Congress, and passed the last Congress twice.
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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, with much respect to my colleague from Louisiana--and I enjoy working with him--I just want to assure him, because he spent a great deal of time in Colorado, that he is still going to be able to enjoy the wonderful outdoor recreation that our State has under this bill.
If anything, his ability to do so will only increase. And that is why the American Whitewater Association, the American Canoe Association, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, The American Alpine Club, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers all support this bill.
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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, there is quite a lot to respond to. I will just respond to a couple of quick points.
Virtually all the BLM wilderness land that was referenced with respect to title I has been managed as wilderness essentially for the better part of the last 40 years.
With respect to wildfires, I would encourage my colleague to read the Wilderness Act because section 4(d) of the Wilderness Act says: ``Such measures may be taken as may be necessary in the control of fire, insects, and diseases.'' That is the law.
Finally, I have to say, with respect to the reference to constituent support, with respect to the CORE Act, the bill that we introduced as part of this component bill, Gunnison County, Pitkin County, San Juan County, Ouray County, San Miguel County, Eagle County, they all support the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my colleagues again to follow the lead of the folks and the voices at the local level who are imploring us to pass this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say thank you again to Chairman Grijalva, and to each of my colleagues, Representative DeGette, Representative Schiff, Representative Huffman, and all of my fellow Members who we heard from today who worked so hard on this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I have to repeat this because it is important. Every title of this bill was heard in the 116th Congress, I was at those hearings. Every title was marked up. I attended those mark-ups with the ranking member. Every single title of this bill passed in committee, passed on the floor twice, many of them in bipartisan fashion.
I agree with the ranking member. At the end of the day we have an obligation to leave our environment better than when we found it. That is what this bill is all about. Protecting the most iconic and beautiful places in the United States of America so that my children, your children, Mr. Speaker, and the ranking member's children can continue to enjoy these incredible places in our country.
Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will vote ``yes'' on this important legislation and join us in this effort.
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