As the State Representative for Eagle, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt counties, I know how important public lands are to rural communities in our state. Whether we live in Vail or Craig, Steamboat Springs or Meeker, we share a strong connection to our public lands and the outdoor recreation industry that drives our economies, local businesses and workforce.

That is why I’m deeply concerned by recent attempts to sell off our public lands. By aggressively shortening review timelines, eliminating public comment opportunities, and fast-tracking regulatory processes, we’re experiencing a serious shift in who benefits from our public lands in a way that cuts rural Colorado out of the conversation.

I am proud to stand with my colleagues as a sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 26-015, which celebrates the importance of public lands to our state and communities while opposing any efforts to privatize or otherwise limit the Coloradans’ ability to participate in public lands decision-making processes. Our public lands belong to all of us, and together, we must demand they remain protected, productive and in public hands.

Bedrock laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) exist to protect community interests in our public lands and to ensure we have a voice in the decision-making process. By sidestepping important laws like this, recent federal policy decisions are challenging Colorado’s stake in the public lands that support our livelihoods, communities, and way of life. 

As it stands today, the public has a weaker voice in shaping the future of our public lands than ever before. As a big driver of my local economy, I proudly support energy development and our ag industry in Northwest Colorado. But we expect to have a voice in the process to ensure that development is done right and with Coloradans’ best interests in mind. As Coloradans have demonstrated time and again, we do not support attempts to cut the public out of public lands.

This is also why I am sponsoring the bipartisan Colorado Outdoor Opportunities Act, to support local conservation and outdoor recreation goals through statewide partnership, coordination and action. Many communities feel they are at an important crossroads in their ability to connect people to the outdoors, protect biodiversity, and keep agricultural lands working while also juggling growing recreation demand, identifying the best places on the landscape for conservation and outdoor recreation to occur, and sustaining community character and way of life.

When the federal government silences local voices to fast-track development, it is paving the way to auctioning off the hunting grounds, clean water and landscapes that belong to us all. We cannot allow our Colorado way of life to be dismantled by federal mandates that prioritize short-term gains over the long-term stability of our communities. We need leaders who understand that supporting a strong, diverse economy means protecting the natural resources that make our rural communities so unique.

For my constituents in House District 26, for the Western Slope, and for all Coloradans who have a deep, unifying love and affection for our shared, national public lands, I am proud to stand up for our public lands and the essential, diverse benefits they provide to everyone in our community and the future of Colorado.