Sponsors (4)
The bill secures large-scale conservation, recreation, tribal protections, and tools for forest and watershed health, but does so by restricting mineral and some commercial uses, limiting motorized access in places, and imposing new federal management responsibilities that can reduce local development revenue and create administrative burdens.
Residents, visitors, and nearby communities gain large new protected areas (wilderness, Special Management Areas, and a National Recreation Area) that conserve habitat, scenery, and recreation across thousands of acres.
Rural communities, local governments, and watershed users benefit from authorized wildfire, insect, disease, and watershed-response actions that enable proactive fuels treatments and coordinated flood/watershed protection to reduce hazard and protect water supplies.
Tribal communities retain treaty rights and preserved access for ceremonies and traditional uses, protecting cultural practices and tribal access to resources.
Local governments, states, and residents face reduced opportunities for future mineral and energy development because the bill withdraws large areas from new mining, leasing, and geothermal development, which can lower future local and state revenue.
Recreational users, hunters, mountain bikers, and motorized users will have reduced motorized access and bans on permanent roads in some areas (with limited exceptions), which can limit access, increase travel times, and affect recreation businesses.
Federal agencies and taxpayers may face increased administrative costs, staffing needs, mapping and study requirements, and ongoing management obligations to establish and manage the new units and restrictions.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Designates new wilderness and special management areas, creates Curecanti National Recreation Area, and sets a Thompson Divide methane-capture pilot with mineral withdrawals in Colorado.
Introduced February 27, 2025 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress February 27, 2025
Designates multiple new wilderness additions and special management areas on federal lands in Colorado, creates the Curecanti National Recreation Area, and establishes a Thompson Divide program that withdraws specified federal lands from mineral and disposal laws while launching a pilot to capture fugitive methane from coal mines. The bill also preserves certain grazing and land-management authorities, lets agencies carry out fire, insect, and disease control in newly covered areas, and sets processes for administrative transfers and interagency management agreements.