Issue Position: Our Public Lands

Issue Position

Issue Position: Our Public Lands

Overview

* I believe we must work with Coloradans representing varying interests along the political spectrum to find environmentally sustainable, bipartisan solutions to the issues involving public lands.
* Like most Coloradans, I am very concerned about the bark beetle epidemic and related fire danger. The size of the epidemic makes it imperative that we pass the comprehensive legislation I have authored to amend the Healthy Forests Act and give the Forest Service the resources and authority it needs to address this growing problem.
* Our development of energy resources needs to be balanced in ways that protect special lands and wildlife resources, particularly on Colorado's Western Slope where a tourism, livestock, agriculture and recreation are so vital.

I believe Coloradans have a special bond with the land. Most would also agree that we have a moral obligation to be good stewards of our natural environment and conserve it for future generations. As the Executive Director of the Colorado Outward Bound School, I had the opportunity to teach (and learn from) many young people in challenging landscapes throughout the West. Kids who never stepped out of an urban setting would find themselves on a remote mountain top, sleeping under the stars and facing leadership challenges they had never imagined. It was always inspiring to see their enthusiasm for the natural environment.

Although we have made significant progress over the years in managing our public lands, forests, and watersheds, we are still facing many policy challenges. The Bush Administration has undermined regulations and laws designed to protect safe drinking water and clean air standards. The rush to develop fossil fuels has pushed out many other users of public lands, including hunting and fishing, and we have not kept pace with the needs of our National Parks. In Colorado, the bark beetle epidemic is causing visible damage to our forests, and has greatly increased the risk of wild fires in infected areas. As Colorado's population expands, we also face the environmental challenges associated with urban sprawl, including traffic congestion and the loss of open space.

I believe that we must work with Coloradans representing varying interests along the political spectrum to find environmentally sustainable, bipartisan solutions to these issues. For example, I have worked with Members of the Colorado Delegation and state and local governments to forge a timely and effective response to the Bark Beetle Epidemic. Earlier this year, I introduced three bills, including legislation to define the trees killed by the beetle epidemic as biomass (which will help underline a potential market use for this timber) and legislation that would allow the designation of "insect emergency" areas so the Forest Service could get at treatment and thinning projects on an expedited basis. All three bills will help local communities deal with the dangers posed by the epidemic and allow for faster implementation of community wildfire protection plans.

In 2007, I carried legislation on behalf of the Colorado Delegation to respond to the bark beetle infestation. The delegation bill authorizes $120 million to help the Forest Service and local communities in Colorado address the enhanced fire risk and threat to water supplies created by the beetle epidemic. It also funds research and grants for the development of ways to better use timber products. This bill was based on earlier legislation that Rep. John Salazar and I worked on—the first of its kind in Colorado—to streamline environmental regulations and secure emergency response strategies to combat the beetle epidemic.

The legislation also has several provisions that will help make combating the bark beetle epidemic more efficient. The bill calls for creation of central location points to collect removed trees for ease of disposal or reuse, and provides tax credits and income exclusions for private thinning and treatment work. It allows for the creation of "Healthy Forest Partnership Zones" which will facilitate the involvement of local communities and private industry in efforts to reduce hazardous fuels and reduce fire risk. Finally, the bill makes the Forest Service's "good neighbor" policy, focusing treatment and thinning projects on Forest Service land adjacent to homes and communities, permanent.

The expansion of our communities into previously undeveloped areas, or "urban sprawl" is also a growing concern among Colorado residents. I believe that local communities should have the opportunity to take the lead in managing development. The federal government can help by providing local communities with access to remote-sensing geospatial data that the federal government acquires from satellites. Getting this information in the hands of local planners makes sense, and that is why I have authored legislation to make this planning data available to towns, counties and other local governments in Colorado.

In addition to fighting for additional funding and resources to better manage our National Parks and National Forests, I am proud that Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law, my legislation designating the James Peak area north of Berthoud Pass as wilderness. I am the author of bipartisan legislation that would extend wilderness protection to Rocky Mountain National Park as well. These bills were among the first initiatives I undertook in Congress, and I have been grateful for the support of my colleagues in Colorado's Congressional Delegation for moving them forward.

The House has also passed legislation I authored that would support creation of a "Front Range Backdrop Protection" study by the Forest Service. This bill is designed to preserve the Mountain View shed so many Coloradans enjoy along Colorado's Northern Front Range.

I have also supported Colorado's Roadless Petition. Over the past half century, the U.S. Forest Service has inventoried forest lands for their so-called "roadless character." These lands are considered special by the Forest Service in that they have remained in their largely natural state and have provided clean air, water, and wildlife habitat, as well as open spaces of natural beauty. Prior to 2000, these roadless areas did not enjoy any special management status or protection.

In 2001, the Clinton Administration instituted an administrative regulation significantly restricting new road building and timber harvesting in roadless areas. Later, the Bush Administration revoked the 2001 Clinton roadless area rule and promulgated a new rule in which Governors were granted the opportunity to develop state-specific petitions to the U.S. Forest Service on how roadless areas were to be managed in their respective states. In reaction to the implementation of the Bush Administration's rule, the Colorado legislature and former Governor Owens created a bipartisan Roadless Area Review Task Force to study Colorado's roadless areas and to recommend a petition for submission to the U.S. Forest Service on how to manage them. A knowledgeable member of my staff was a member of this task force. After extensive research and discussion, the Roadless Area Review Task Force produced the Colorado Roadless Petition. Both former Governor Owens and Governor Ritter have submitted this Task Force petition (with some modifications) to the U.S. Forest Service for consideration.

A recent 9th Circuit District Court ruling held that the Bush Administration's roadless rule is invalid and restored the 2001 Clinton Rule. However, legal actions are still pending following this decision. I supported the 2001 Clinton rule because it established a uniform management standard for all roadless areas and did not create a situation, reflected in the Bush Administration's rule, where roadless areas would be treated differently based on the political direction of individual states. Not every state has reacted in a responsible and balanced manner to the Bush Administration's rule. I am pleased that Colorado has acted in a positive way. That is why I support the Colorado Roadless Petition. The Colorado Roadless Petition reflects a sound management structure that will result in protecting roadless areas while allowing important activities to occur in these areas only under special circumstances.

Good stewardship of our environment means finding environmentally sustainable ways to balance our economic needs, while protecting and conserving the land. We must make sure that we work together to protect the health and welfare of the environment and to preserve Colorado's natural beauty.

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