Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Representative Boebert's bill, the Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields Act, or the CONVEY Act. H.R. 2997 conveys land from the Federal Government to Mesa County in Colorado. As the House Committee on Natural Resources considered and ultimately passed this bill through our committee last year, it was clear Representative Boebert had done good work to build consensus and solve an important issue in a local Colorado community. The bill is good policy. Representative Boebert worked with her constituents, county leaders, and the Bureau of Land Management to draft legislation they all support. Many of our Western States are largely owned by the Federal Government. In Colorado, over 36 percent of the land is federally owned. In Mesa County, an astonishing 72 percent of the land is owned by the Federal Government, and this presents many local challenges. As communities grow in proximity to Federal lands, there simply is not enough space for new homes, schools, hospitals, or other necessities to sustain a growing population. Large swaths of Federal land limit the tax base to support the local community. While creative solutions have been enacted by Congress to address this issue, there are still setbacks to communities lacking a strong tax base. The growing population in this Colorado community has encouraged county leaders to seek out new land for development.…”