Agriculture

Rather than working on real issues like reducing inflation and improving the economy, Joe Biden came to Colorado today to unilaterally lock up hundreds of thousands of acres through the stroke of his pen and prevent Coloradans from using our public lands for activities that we want and need. Shamefully, Biden ignored the concerns and opposition of impacted communities so he could appease Green New Deal extremists. Equally troubling, they hid their true motivations and failed to be transparent about the harm and restrictions that will result from this massive land grab. With gas prices skyrocketing, OPEC decreasing its oil production, and Americans already struggling to pay their utility bills, this land grab to shut down American energy and natural resources production could not come at a worse time.

This locally-driven, bipartisan bill is a public lands compromise put forth by local stakeholders that threads the needle. H.R. 8601 protects the Dolores River Corridor, conserves wildlife, and ensures scenic public lands for future generations while still protecting private water and private property rights. This well-crafted legislation ensures traditional uses like grazing, uranium mining and other mineral extraction, and motorized-vehicle use will continue. Importantly, this bill prevents a wild and scenic river designation in perpetuity, something that would negatively impact all the aforementioned uses. The hard work of everyone who came to the table to make this happen should be applauded.

My top three priorities are water, water, and water. Rural Colorado’s water supply must be expanded, especially during times of drought. I am a champion for water policies that deliver solutions, and these projects will add thousands of acre-feet of water storage.

The Biden regime is going around the law by implementing its 30x30 land grab to lock up 30% of public and private property and water by 2030 without providing for public comment or following other required legal procedures. The National Environmental Protection Act clearly requires the federal government to create an Environmental Impact Statement for major federal actions and open a forum for public comment. If a minor project like building a shed in a national park requires an Environmental Impact Statement, surely a massive endeavor like locking up 30% of the landmass and waters of the entire United States requires one. This is the largest land grab in American history, and the American public deserves far more transparency from the Biden regime. What are they trying to hide?

The science is clear, the gray wolf is fully recovered. It shouldn’t be tougher to delist a recovered species than it is to list a species that warrants protection. For far too long, activist judges and extremist environmentalists have weaponized the Endangered Species Act in order to lock up our lands. The gray wolf listing has also led to countless killings of livestock. The Trust the Science Act empowers states and puts people ahead of violent predators based on actual science. Its far past time that we removed leftist politics from listing decisions.

The gray wolf is fully recovered, should remain delisted in the lower 48 United States, and should be managed by the States. It’s really that simple. Some activist judge from California shouldn’t be able to overturn the best available science and contradict the law based on his own leftist political beliefs. The same career bureaucrats that worked at the Department of the Interior under the Trump administration that found the gray wolf is fully recovered are still working at the Department. The science hasn’t changed, and Secretary Haaland should appeal the unlawful decision by the California judge. I will continue to fight for our ranchers and to protect their livestock from these dangerous predators.

Congresswoman Boebert is aggressively working to remove invasive salt cedar and Russian olive trees that are guzzling water in Colorado and the West.