DeGette Applauds Biden Administration Action to Protect Thompson Divide, Urges Additional Conservation

DENVER — Today, Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-01) applauded the Biden Administration’s completion of an approximately 221,898-acre withdrawal from the Thompson Divide, an action that protects the area from operation of public land laws, mining laws, and mineral and geothermal leasing laws, excluding valid existing rights. 

“The Thompson Divide is an iconic part of the Colorado landscape that is home to a variety of local plants and animals, recreational opportunities, and grazing lands. Today’s announcement by the Biden Administration to protect these beautiful public lands in Colorado is an important step forward and is the result of a lot of diligent work from local, state, and federal partners,” said DeGette. “And there’s still more work to do. Congress must act to put stronger protections in place for this area, particularly the Assignation Ridge area included in my Colorado Wilderness Act and Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act. I will continue to lead the charge in Congress to protect Colorado’s public lands so that future generations can enjoy them for years to come.” 

According to the Department of the Interior, the Thompson Divide area has not been available to oil and gas leasing for several years. Pre-existing natural gas leases in the area would be unaffected by this mineral withdrawal. These pre-existing and unaffected natural gas-related leases in the Thompson Divide area constitute less than 1% of the more than 3,000 active federal leases in the state of Colorado.

Rep. DeGette has long advocated for national wilderness designations, introducing the Colorado Wilderness Act every Congress since 1999. The Colorado Wilderness Act would protect hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness in Colorado, ensuring that the state’s robust outdoor recreation industry can continue to be an economic driver and job creator. The Colorado Wilderness Act is one of the largest land-protection packages ever passed out of the House. The bill would include Assignation Ridge, which includes nearly 20,000 acres of diverse wildlife population including elk, bear, and mountain lion, and also offers outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking, hunting, and ice and rock climbing.

The Colorado Wilderness Act is included in DeGette’s omnibus public lands bill, the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, which extends permanent federal public lands protections for additional areas throughout the western United States.

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