Key House committee to take up DeGette’s Colorado Wilderness Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A landmark piece of legislation to permanently protect more than 740,000 acres of Colorado wilderness is set to get its first major Congressional hearing this week.

On Wednesday, July 10, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, will hold a hearing to consider a plan that was introduced earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) to designate 33 new areas across Colorado as federally-protected wilderness, giving those areas the highest level of land protection available.

The legislation – known as the Colorado Wilderness Act – would be the largest land-protection package for Colorado in the past 25 years, and would increase the total amount of federally-protected wilderness in the state by more than 20%.

While Colorado already has more than 3,500,000 acres of federally-protected wilderness, most of that land is at higher elevations – such as the alpine landscapes for which Colorado is so famous. Unlike previous land-protection packages that Congress has approved, DeGette's legislation seeks to protect more mid-elevation ecosystems that are often used for outdoor recreational activities and serve as critical habitats for a variety of plants and wildlife.

DeGette – who now serves as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee – announced earlier this year that getting the bill approved was one of her top priorities, and secured assurances from Congressional leader that once it was introduced it will get the hearing it needs to advance in the committee.

The hearing will be held Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. EDT in room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. It will also be streamed LIVE online at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalResourcesDems/featured

Among those set to testify about the bill's importance are DeGette, herself, and the president of the Colorado chapter of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, Steve Bonowski.

According to the Colorado Office of Economic Development, Colorado's outdoor recreation industry generates $28 billion in consumer spending annually, supports 229,000 jobs and pays $9.7 billion in salaries and wages to Colorado workers. DeGette and Bonowski believe that protecting more of Colorado's wilderness is vital to protect and help further grow this important industry.

Following is a copy of DeGette's bill, a map showing the 33 areas that would be designated as wilderness if it's approved:

A copy of the bill is available here.

A map showing the 33 areas that would be protected is available here.