Tag: Legislation

On November 18, 2025, Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced a bi-partisan bill to reauthorize the Wildlife Crossings Program. The bill would authorize funding through 2031. Colorado and many other states have received grants under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This important Program was developed to reduce highway collisions between vehicles and wildlife, saving lives, improving road safety, and safeguarding wildlife migration corridors. For example, it enabled Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to design and construct the overpass project on I-25 south of Castle Rock, at the Greenland interchange. CDOT provided the required match. Colorado Parks and Wildlife confers with CDOT on highway crossing projects. 

 https://www.codot.gov/projects/i25greenlandwildlifeoverpass

The bill first will need to be heard by the House Transportation Committee.

On  September 10, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced it proposes to rescind the 2024 Public Lands Rule.  The purpose of the BLM’s Public Lands Rule was to elevate conservation so that it would be fully considered an essential equal element in the agency’s work to balance multiple uses. CWF had applauded the Rule because it enabled conservation to gain equal footing among the array of multiple uses BLM must manage. It emphasized ecosystem resilience, intact and connected landscapes, and on setting priorities for restoration of degraded lands. The Rule had been finalized April 18, 2024.

Department of the Interior views the Rule as providing ” an outsized priority on conservation or no-use at the expense of multiple-use access, threatening to curtail grazing, energy development, recreation and other traditional land uses.” The press release also characterizes its removal as the elimination of unnecessary barriers to energy development. It complements Sec. Order 3418 February 3, “Unleashing American Energy.”   DOI Press release

We note that in the BLM Colorado third quarter 2025 lease sale on Tuesday, September 9, all of the 14 parcels listed for sale were sold. Results of Lease Sale

Further, Congress is working to use a Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn BLM Resource Management Plans in 3 states (Alaska, North Dakota and Montana). This could create mass uncertainly for public lands management throughout the West if it begins to erase BLM management plans because they govern the land use on the lands it manages. Stay tuned and we will update.

On June 28, Senator Mike Lee, Utah, announced that he has withdrawn his public lands sell-off provision from the Senate budget reconciliation bill, after several tries to include it in the bill. At least the disposal threat in this bill has ended. We thank Rep. Hurd for his work in the House to help ensure a similar provision was defeated before the bill moved to the Senate. We also thank our Senators for their work during this threat to Colorado’s public lands.

Senator Lee of Utah, has introduced a third version of his language to sell off some public lands in the Senate version of the budget bill. It focuses on BLM lands.  Obviously it would exact a large impact on wildlife and recreation opportunities for communities and we oppose it. If this language survives in the Senate, then we need ask Rep. Hurd to stand strong with Rep. Zinke and push back as it would be devastating to local communities. [As the bill in the Senate differs from what passed the House, the bill would return to the House if it passes the Senate.]

On June 24, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the sale of federally managed public lands (BLM and USFS) provisions may not be included in the budget bill. We are watchful in case Utah’s Senator Lee makes another attempt to insert such provisions.

As the bill is is a reconciliation bill, the Parliamentarian stated that policy matters may not be included in the bill. The bill is confined to revenue and spending measures. Colorado’s Representatives Hurd and Neguse issued a joint statement touting the removal of the provisions that would have enabled sale of public lands.  Stay tuned.

The Senate’s version of the budget bill by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources places at risk of sale a portion of federally managed public lands -managed by Bureau of Land Management and by the US Forest Service. As you know this type of provision that would have impacted Nevada and Utah was eliminated from the House bill before the bill passed. This Senate Committee proposal would impact public lands in Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.  The stated purpose for the public land sales is local housing and the Secretary of the Interior would be directed to sell at fair market value “not less than 0.50 percent or more than 0.75 percent” of BLM lands and US Forest Service lands from these states. Priorities for disposal are “adjacent to existing developed areas, have access to existing infrastructure, are suitable for residential housing, reduce checkerboard land patterns, or are isolated tracts inefficient to manage.”  As to housing, note that if current BLM/USFS parcels in the wildland-urban interface were developed then the state likely would face additional wildfire risk. There already are processes under existing law for specific disposal of public land parcels when merited. We value our public lands. This budget bill draft must be rejected by the Senate !!!  Please ask our Senators to speak with those colleagues who have not opposed selling off public lands. 

The public lands sell-off provision was removed by the House from its budget reconciliation bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on May 21!  The provisions in the amendment passed earlier by the House Natural Resources Committee on May 6 that would have included selling off some public lands in Utah and Nevada were stripped out. Proposals to sell off public lands would have resulted in significant harm to the wildlife, people, and communities that rely on them.  Also removed are the prohibition of implementing the BLM resource management plans for the Colorado River Valley Field Office and Grand Junction Field Office. Great news! There are other major problems in the bill to oppose in the Senate.

Bills CWF has testified on or has tracked this session — all have concluded as follows at session end:

Bill to create study of state trust lands and stewardship trust lands (HB 25-1332) was heard in the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee on April 21. CWF testified in support. The bill has passed both the House and the Senate.

Bill was introduced on March 19 to prevent motor vehicle collisions and protect Colorado’s wildlife (HB 25-1303). It will help to fund infrastructure tools at highest risk wildlife highway crossings. Numerous organizations including CWF have been working intensively and effectively for several months to gain this bill.   Here is the press release    The bill was heard in the House Transportation,  Housing and Local Government Committee on April 1. The bill passed with amendments on a 9-4 vote, was moved forward to the House Committee on Finance where CWF testified in support on April 7. The vote was 7-6 in favor, bill passed Finance Committee with amendment, Appropriations Committee and House. Bill was heard April 24 in Senate Finance Committee and defeated on April 29.  CWF is very disappointed as are the bill sponsors Senators Roberts and Winters. The sponsors have committed to bring back a bill in the 2026 session.

CWF testified in support of the bill to continue the Colorado Habitat Stamp program (SB25-049). It is a clean bill that will remove the sunset and continue this important program indefinitely. The program began in 2006 and has operated smoothly, investing funds generated from the annual purchase of the habitat stamps into strategic investments to benefit wildlife habitat and access to habitats through landowner conservation easements, public easements and fee title transfers. The bill passed out of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee on a 6-1 vote, passed the Senate, and House Committees, and House Floor. Bill passed April 30.

CWF testified in support of local government review of fencing projects on Sangre de Cristo land grant lands in the San Luis Valley that are planned to be at least five feet in height and exceed a specified length. (HB 25-1023). Although CWF traditionally does not weigh in on private property matters, this bill is important as local government review would likely enable elk, deer and pronghorn on these lands to continue safely crossing fences that lie along their established local migration routes and habitats. The bill passed out of the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resource Committee on a 11-2 vote. The bill passed the House with amendments, Senate with amendments and House concurred with Senate amendments. Bill has passed.

Another bill would classify bison that wander into Colorado from Utah as big game (SB 25-053). Currently, all bison are classified as agriculture. CWF testified in support the bill conditioned on adoption by the Senate Agriculture & Naatural Resources Committee of the amendments proposed by the Department of Natural Resources. The amendments were adopted on the House Floor. The bill has passed and awaits signature of the Governor.

“Scientific Wildlife Management” (HB 25-1258) was introduced in the House and was postponed indefinitely after losing in committee March 6. CWF opposed the bill and strongly supports the use of sound science in Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) administration of wildlife management. Unfortunately, this bill is a thinly veiled bill aimed at reducing Colorado’s long history of utilizing hunting and angling as a primary wildlife management tool by changing the requirement that CPW “shall” use hunting and angling as a wildlife management tool to a reduced standard of “may.” It undercuts CPW’s ability to determine what constitutes the best available science and to use their own data and research. Currently, CPW faces no limitations on its ability to use a wide range of wildlife management tools for the benefit of all of Colorado’s wildlife including threatened and endangered species. The bill does not specify what constitutes best available science nor who shall make that determination. It does not recognize the value of data collected and interpreted by CPW’s professional field biologists and researchers. The bill could inadvertently stifle advancement of wildlife science and the application of scientific hypothesis. The best available science available today was only an idea yesterday. Reducing the role of hunter and angler harvest may result in revenue losses to CPW, which is largely funded by license sales. The bill was postponed indefinitely on March 6.

CWF testified in support of local government review of fencing projects on Sangre de Cristo land grant lands in the San Luis Valley that are planned to be at least five feet in height and exceed a specified length (HB 25-1023). Although CWF traditionally does not weigh in on private property matters, this bill is important as it would enable elk, deer and pronghorn on these lands to continue safely crossing fences that lie along their established local migration routes and habitats. The bill passed out of the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resource Committee on a 11-2 vote.

CWF testified in support of the bill to continue the Colorado Habitat Stamp program (SB25-049). It is a clean bill that will remove the sunset and continue this important program indefinitely. The program began in 2006 and has operated smoothly, investing funds generated from the annual purchase of the habitat stamps into strategic investments to benefit wildlife habitat and access to habitats through landowner conservation easements, public easements and fee title transfers. The bill passed out of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee on a 6-1 vote, passed the Senate and is now in the House.