Colorado Wilderness Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which would make crystal clear that our men and women in uniform can continue to use the areas affected by this bill to conduct the training that they need to keep us safe.

The underlying bill would designate over a million acres of federally owned land as new or potential wilderness, safeguarding these important natural resources for Americans to enjoy for generations.

But these lands not only provide us with our outdoor recreation opportunities; they also serve as an important training ground for our Armed Forces as they prepare to defend our country overseas.

My bipartisan, commonsense amendment would ensure that our military aviators can continue to fly training missions and traverse the more than 1.3 million acres of wilderness designated by this act.

Now, this is critical because some areas affected by this bill are currently used by servicemembers at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, which is represented by my colleague, Congressman Tipton, who joined me in offering this amendment.

This facility is the only place military helicopter pilots can learn the advanced power management skills needed to safely operate thousands of feet above sea level.

Given the mountainous regions our troops presently operate in overseas, both in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is critically important that these training operations continue uninterrupted.

Our public lands management agencies have a long history of working with our military leaders. When it comes to protecting our public lands, this amendment shows that conservation and national security can go hand in hand.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting our amendment, ensuring that our servicemembers can continue to utilize America's diverse natural resources to prepare to fight and win in any environment.

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Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chair, in closing, I want to thank my friend from Colorado, Mr. Tipton, for joining me in offering this bipartisan amendment. Mr. Chair, I also want to thank Chairman Grijalva and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for their work on this important legislation.

I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in supporting this amendment, which will make clear that our military can continue to utilize the airspace above these newly designated wilderness areas.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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