Political Quotes

“This amendment, which has nothing to do with the national defense, creates significant land restrictions on nearly 400,000 acres of land in Colorado. This entirely inappropriate amendment to the NDAA seeks to create 73,068 acres of new wilderness in Colorado, which will severely restrict all forms of recreation, much-needed management, and economic activity. We can all agree that we need forest management, and the answer is not a hands-off approach. While there are a lot of terrible policies in this amendment, one of my biggest concerns is the increased threat of disastrous wildfires that will result from the new wilderness designations and other land grabs in this bill. Colorado just came out of one of the worst wildfire seasons we have ever experienced. In 2020 the U.S. set a new record for the number of acres burned by wildfires, as more than 10.3 million acres went up in smoke. Wilderness is the most restrictive land use designation possible, and it prevents active management in our forests, which is critical to prevent catastrophic wildfires. I have spent months meeting with foresters, experts in the timber industry, and active management advocates. Every one of them has said we do not need wilderness areas in Colorado, and wilderness areas prevent active management of our forests and have exacerbated catastrophic wildfires.…”