|
|
U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
|
|
|
||
|
For Immediate
Release Tuesday, Novemeber 13, 2007 |
CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 |
|
| Sen. Salazar Continues Work to Pass
Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Bill
WASHINGTON, DC –Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar testified at a House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands hearing on H.R. 2334, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area Act. The bill, which would add 249,339 acres – nearly 95% of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) – to the Wilderness Preservation System, is sponsored by Rep. Mark Udall (CO-02), and co-sponsored by Reps. Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04), John Salazar (CO-03) and Ed Perlmutter (CO-07). Senator Salazar and Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) have sponsored companion legislation in the United States Senate (S. 1380). The bill received its first hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks last July. Last May, in a joint ceremony at RMNP, Senators Salazar and Allard, and Reps. Udall and Musgrave announced their introduction and sponsorship of the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area Act in their respective chambers of Congress. Below is the text of Senator Salazar’s testimony, as prepared for delivery: “Thank you, Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop, for holding this hearing today to consider H.R. 2334, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area Act. I appreciate the opportunity to testify and thank my colleagues, Representative Udall, Representative Musgrave, and Senator Allard for their support for this bill. “I also want to thank William Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem of Estes Park, and Dennis Harmon, from the Water Supply and Storage Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, for being here. They have traveled long distances to testify. “Congress established Rocky Mountain National Park on January 26, 1915 on the vision of a man named Enos Mills, one of our nation’s most committed naturalists, whose love for the wild Rockies began in 1884 when, at age 14, he scaled Long’s Peak. “‘In years to come when I am asleep beneath the pines,’ Mills once said, ‘thousands of families will find rest and hope in this park.’ He was right. Thanks to the excellent work of the Park Service and its employees over the past 90 years, the 3.2 million visitors that come to Rocky Mountain each year experience the same wild lands and spectacular vistas that our ancestors enjoyed. “Our job of protecting the wild character of Rocky Mountain National Park is not complete, however. In 1974 President Nixon recommended that Congress designate 239,835 acres within the Park as wilderness, but Congress has failed to act to designate on his recommendation. “Today, though, thanks to the tireless efforts of the local communities and the dedicated protectors of the Park, we come before the committee with a broadly supported bill that is deserving of passage. “H.R. 2334, and the Senate version that Sen. Allard and I introduced, S.1380, add 249,339 acres – nearly 95% of Rocky Mountain National Park – to the Wilderness Preservation System. “H.R. 2334 is almost identical to a bill Representative Udall and I introduced last year, and which received a ringing endorsement from the Park Service. H.R. 2334 does not affect private land owners, existing development, or water rights. The boundaries for the wilderness area exclude water projects, roads, and existing development. The bill allows for a bicycle trail along the western edge of the Park, provided that construction of the trail is consistent with the Park’s mission. It also makes a small increase in the size of the nearby Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. “The only modification to this bill from last year is a provision that will clarify how the Grand River Ditch is to be operated and maintained in the Park. The Grand River Ditch has been in existence since 1891, almost 25 years before the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park. The ditch diverts Colorado River basin water over the Continental Divide and the Never Summer Range to farmers along the Front Range. “The language we have added would make the liability standard under which the ditch operates consistent with the standard that applies to other water users under Colorado law. This revised standard only applies, however, if the ditch is operated in accordance with an updated operations and maintenance plan approved by the Park Service. It is a sensible provision. “As one who feels that it is critical that local communities participate in and support these efforts, I am proud that this bill has the endorsement of local communities and organizations including Larimer County, Grand Lake, Grand County, the Town of Estes Park, Winter Park, the Town of Grand Lake, and the League of Women Voters. I am proud that our bill is a win-win for economic development and conservation, and accommodates the needs of a broad range of interests. “Again, thank you for allowing me to testify today. We held a similar hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, of which I am a member, earlier this year. I am hopeful that we will be able to pass this bill promptly, so that we can get it to the President’s desk for his signature. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman.” ###
|
||
