This week, our Alliance is celebrating the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 26-015 in the Colorado Senate, reaffirming the state’s commitment to protecting public lands and opposing federal efforts to sell off public lands or silence public input in their management.
Sponsored by Sen. Dylan Roberts, Sen. Judy Amabile, Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, Rep. Katie Stewart, and Rep. Meghan Lukens, SJR26-015 declares that Colorado’s public lands are foundational to the state’s economy, environment, public health, and identity — and must remain in public hands for current and future generations.
Our Alliance supported this resolution. Colorado is home to more than 22 million acres of national public lands, and many of those acres are found in Western Colorado. These lands are critical to our Western Slope way of life, providing clean drinking water, recreational opportunities, and supporting local jobs in outdoor recreation, land management, and more.
Lawmakers passed this resolution in response to recent federal actions that weaken long-standing environmental safeguards, limit public participation in public land management decisions, and the effort to outright sell our public lands to private interests.
People across Western Colorado support protecting public lands. This year’s Conservation in the West Poll found that 78% of Coloradans want leaders to prioritize protecting air, water, wildlife habitat, and recreation over drilling and mining on public lands. We thank the sponsors of this resolution for standing with Western Coloradans and acting to protect our public lands.
Other legislative updates:
Also this week, three bills we are supporting to rebalance Colorado’s tax code for working people passed out of the House Finance Committee and are on to appropriations, where they will await budget negotiations. We expect the “long bill” to start moving in early April. Stay tuned for updates.
This Friday, people are rallying at the state Capitol to demand Fair Rules for Big Tech, as part of a statewide push to ensure big tech pay its fair share and have strong rules governing data center development. You and other Alliance members have made it clear to lawmakers that Western Colorado wants strong protections from data centers and have sent 235 messages to lawmakers. Keep up the momentum and tell your lawmaker today to support the Ensure Accountability for Large-Load Data Centers Act!
(Photo by Vikki Musquiz)
