Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2997, my Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields Act, the CONVEY Act.

This commonsense bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey 31.1 acres of land that the Federal Government no longer wishes to manage to Mesa County for economic development in Clifton, Colorado. Mesa County will purchase the land for fair market value.

For over 5 years, Mesa County has been stuck in red tape as they have been diligently pursuing the acquisition of this parcel of land that is on the BLM disposal list. This land holds immense value for Mesa County as it presents a critical opportunity for economic development in Clifton, an area of the county that has struggled economically.

I have worked closely with BLM, the committee, and the Mesa County commissioners to cut through the bureaucracy and expedite this process. The Principal Deputy Director at the Bureau of Land Management, Nada Wolff Culver, said: ``The BLM supports H.R. 2997,'' the CONVEY Act, ``and the direct sale of the parcel to Mesa County.''

The economic potential of this land will allow Mesa County to attract job creators and foster an environment that encourages economic prosperity for Clifton.

Once Mesa County is able to secure the land, they will establish an economic development board to solicit input from local stakeholders.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this bill would reduce Federal spending. It also ensures the funds from the sale of this land will be deposited into the Federal Land Disposal Account, established by the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, and retained by the Bureau of Land Management Colorado office, so the funds from the sale will actually be used in Colorado.

More than 55 percent of Colorado's Third District and 73 percent of Mesa County's land area is Federal land. As Mesa County continues to grow, the county is significantly limited in the land it has available to develop.

These large Federal footprints often stifle local communities that lack power in decisionmaking over the land in their own backyards from moving forward on important development opportunities.

I am proud to empower local communities and jump-start rural economies through innovative solutions that reduce our Federal footprint and cut bureaucratic red tape that is stifling economic growth with the CONVEY Act.

It has been a pleasure to work on this piece of legislation and to offer this to Mesa County to see what they come up with for their economic development.

I urge my colleagues to support this simple, straightforward bill, Mr. Speaker.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source