Video of Hickenlooper’s Remarks is available HERE.
Video of Bennet’s Testimony is available HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, testified during a Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining hearing in support of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy (CORE) Act. The Senators have worked with Colorado U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse and Colorado counties, in close coordination with Tribes, businesses, recreation groups, sportsmen, ranchers, and conservationists, to develop this bill over the last decade. The legislation protects approximately 420,000 acres of public land, establishes new wilderness areas, and safeguards existing outdoor recreation opportunities to boost the economy for future generations.
“Public lands power our economy and connect our communities in Colorado,” said Hickenlooper. “A decade’s worth of partnerships built these common-sense measures to protect our public lands and invest in our outdoor recreation economy. We won’t let up until we get the CORE Act signed into law.”
“County commissioners across the political spectrum, outfitters, ranchers, hunters and anglers, and local businesses rolled up their sleeves to find the best way forward to preserve our special places. These Coloradans know how fundamental public lands are to our identity and economy, and they did the hard work to ensure the CORE Act reflects the diverse interests of our diverse state,” Bennet said during his testimony.
“The CORE Act is a transformational bill that would protect our treasured public lands for generations to come,” said Neguse. “During my time in Congress, I’ve been proud to work with Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper to usher components of the bill across the finish line, including successfully securing the establishment of the historic Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. But our fight continues. And I’m heartened to see the Senate take up this bill once again, continuing our work to protect public lands for all Coloradans.”
Of the approximately 420,000 acres of public land that would be protected by the bill, 71,000 acres are designated as new wilderness, and nearly 80,000 acres are designated as new recreation and conservation management areas that preserve existing outdoor uses, such as hiking and mountain biking. The bill would also designate the Sandy Treat Overlook and Tenmile Wilderness in the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument and establish a permanent mineral withdrawal in areas important to ranchers and sportsmen in the Thompson Divide.
During the hearing, Bennet submitted more than 50 letters of support for the CORE Act into the record, including from 2 Tribes, 7 counties, 17 towns and cities, and Governor Jared Polis.
In February, Hickenlooper, Bennet, and Neguse reintroduced the CORE Act with bipartisan support from counties across Colorado. In 2022, they led the push to establish the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument and secure a proposed administrative mineral withdrawal for the Thompson Divide – critical provisions of the original CORE Act, first introduced in 2019. In 2024, the Department of the Interior approved a 20-year mineral withdrawal in the Thompson Divide.
Statements of Support:
“Glenwood Springs has consistently and unequivocally supported permanent protections for the Thompson Divide, most recently through another resolution reaffirming our strong commitment to protecting this landscape,” said Erin Zalinski, Glenwood Springs City Council. “The Thompson Divide is central to our community’s outdoor heritage, economic vitality, and way of life. We welcome this Senate hearing on the CORE Act as a critical step toward securing the Divide’s future.”
“For nearly two decades, stakeholders, conservationists, and lawmakers have spoken about landscape protections in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado,” said John Clark, Mayor of Ridgway. “The proposed San Juan Mountains protections in the CORE Act are not just lines on the map, they’re the result of decades of local input. Knowledgeable community members from Norwood, Ophir, Ouray, Ridgway, Silverton, and Telluride have walked hundreds of miles to establish the proposed expanded boundaries in the CORE Act. Along with the many other important components of the Act, the protections for our region are long overdue. I’m confident that the Colorado Congressional delegation can finally get the CORE Act over the finish line!”
“Breckenridge’s identity is rooted in the mountains and our commitment to protecting the landscapes that support our economy and way of life,” said Kelly Owens, Mayor of Breckenridge. “We appreciate Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper’s and Congressman Neguse’s dedication to the CORE Act and its effort to safeguard important public lands, support outdoor recreation, and preserve Colorado’s natural resources for future generations.”
“The CORE Act continues a proud Colorado tradition of protecting our wild lands, clean water and outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations,” said Jim Ramey, Colorado State Director of The Wilderness Society. “This legislation would protect some of the best that Colorado’s public lands have to offer, including pristine watersheds and key wildlife habitat along the Continental Divide, three popular fourteeners, and the rugged mountains and ranching heritage of the Thompson Divide. The CORE Act has something for everyone and all Coloradans stand to benefit. Protecting our public lands and preserving our freedom to hike, hunt and fish on them is something that unites all of us, and we urge Congress to advance this legislation.”
“The reintroduction of the CORE Act is a major opportunity for Congress to conserve one of Colorado’s greatest attributes: our high country and our access to it,” said David Lien, co-chair for the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “Elk, bighorn sheep, black bears, mule deer, greenback cutthroat trout and more native species need this space to survive and thrive, and it’s our responsibility as Coloradans and stewards of these public lands and waters to do our part in sustaining them for future generations.”
“Wilderness is more vital than ever to me, as my life as a small business owner is hectic 24/7,” said Todd Rutledge, Mountain Trip Guide. “I have been hiking, skiing, climbing, hunting and riding horses in the area encompassed by the CORE Act for 25 years and find solace, challenges and incredible natural beauty in its alpine environment. The value of having contiguous wild places in a world that is increasingly busy is immeasurable.”
###