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U.S.
Senator Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Wednesday, July 16, 2008 |
CONTACT:Michael Amodeo – 303-249-5286 |
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| Sen. Salazar's Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Bill Takes Step Forward in Congress WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee held a hearing on S.3065, the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and Wilderness Act, a bill United States Ken Salazar introduced to better manage and protect the rugged canyonlands of the Uncompahgre Plateau on Colorado’s Western Slope. Delta County Commissioner Jan McCracken testified before the Committee, urging passage of the legislation. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also testified in support of the bill. “I am proud of all the work we have put into this bill over the past two years,” said Senator Salazar. “And I am proud that this bill will protect some of the most stunning desert landscapes on Colorado’s Western Slope for recreationists, hunters and anglers to enjoy for generations to come, while protecting water rights and the traditional uses of these lands. The bill has widespread support in the local communities and among stakeholders and I hope we can pass it yet this year.” The bill incorporates the consensus findings and recommendations that emerged from a set of public meetings and discussions that have been underway since 2006 under the leadership of the Mesa State College-Natural Resources and Land Policy Institute, the Public Lands Partnership, the Mesa, Montrose, and Delta county commissions, and the Colorado congressional delegation. Click here to see a map of the proposed NCA. To view a copy of the bill click here. The proposed NCA would include approximately 210,677 acres of federally-owned land on the Uncompahgre Plateau, of which approximately 66,255 acres would be designated as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area. Giving the Dominguez-Escalante area a National Conservation Area designation would place the area within the Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System, which receives a greater share of resources and funding for recreation and resource protection than other BLM lands. The bill allows continued grazing within the NCA and the Wilderness, protects private property rights and access to inholdings, withdraws the land from mineral leasing (subject to valid existing rights), and allows for continued invasive species control and fire prevention activities. The bill also incorporates consensus water language drafted in collaboration with the Colorado River Water Conservation District, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and the Colorado Wilderness Network that protects existing water rights and strikes an important balance between traditional water uses and wilderness interests. Senator Salazar’s opening
statement from today’s subcommittee hearing, as prepared for delivery,
can be found here. ###
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