Michael Bennet: “It has the support of the Hermosa Creek Workgroup, ranging from hard-rock miners to wilderness advocates. I am pleased…”

“It has the support of the Hermosa Creek Workgroup, ranging from hard-rock miners to wilderness advocates. I am pleased to carry this bill on behalf of the people of Colorado. I am especially proud because this was a community-driven process at its very finest, through and through, from beginning to end. Colorado wrote this bill. This bill wasn't written in Washington, DC. The bill has grown from the grassroots up, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents working together to cement a long-term plan for the community's future. I also want to thank my senior Senator, Senator Udall of Colorado, for joining me as a cosponsor of the bill, and to thank Senators Bingaman and Murkowski for their past help moving Colorado land bills through their committee. I am confident that as we work on this bill together we will find similar consensus. To bring this back to the beginning, I don't have to convince most people that Colorado is a special place. Many have visited our State over their lifetimes to ski our mountains, run our rivers, or climb a ``14er.'' The Hermosa Creek watershed represents some of the best Colorado has to offer. It deserves to be protected for our outdoor recreation economy, and for future generations. I want to thank all of the people who have spent countless hours working together to make sure they could overcome their differences and reach a consensus on this bill.…”