Political Quotes

“Since 1882, the town of Minturn, Colorado, has used Bolts Ditch to fill Bolts Lake, a place of recreation for the town and an important source of water for the surrounding community. When Congress passed the Colorado Wilderness Act in 1980, 450 feet of Bolts Ditch was inadvertently included in the Holy Cross Wilderness area, leading to questions and the town's ability to access this important infrastructure. After a discussion amongst stakeholders, the town agreed to seek a legislative solution to address this access issue. This bipartisan bill, sponsored by Congressman Jared Polis and cosponsored by Congressman Tipton and myself, simply allows the Forest Service to issue a special use permit to the town of Minturn to allow nonmotorized access to maintain a headgate and water ditch in the Holy Cross Wilderness. This bill ensures the town will have access to Bolts Ditch for basic maintenance needs. H.R. 689 was developed in consultation with the community and the Forest Service and enjoys support from a wide range of groups in the region. I urge adoption of the measure. I reserve the balance of my time.”