Washington, D.C. – On the one-year anniversary of the introduction of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (“CORE”) Act, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO-2) released the following statements celebrating the significant progress made to protect over 400,000 acres of public land in Colorado, safeguard existing outdoor recreation opportunities, and boost the state’s economy:
“The success we’ve had over the past year, including House passage in October, is the direct result of over a decade of tireless commitment and hard work by Coloradans to craft legislation that both protects our public lands and boosts our economy – two things that go hand in hand in Colorado,” said Bennet. “At this milestone, I’m inspired by the breadth of support behind the CORE Act and look forward to advancing this bill in the Senate. There’s no reason we can’t send the CORE Act to the president’s desk – Colorado has waited long enough.”
“I’m incredibly pleased with the momentum we have seen for this legislation, it is a true testament to Colorado’s commitment to investing in our treasured public lands and outdoor recreation economy,” said Neguse. “As representatives in Washington, we should be following the lead of our constituents and local communities, and that is exactly what the CORE Act proposes. This legislation is the culmination of over a decade of work from Coloradans to preserve precious public lands across our state and designate the first-ever National Historic Landscape at Camp Hale to honor the legacy of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. I was honored to lead passage out of the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, and look forward to continued momentum in the Senate.”
In September, Bennet sent a letter to Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Ranking Member Joe Manchin requesting the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hold a hearing on the CORE Act.
Following introduction of the CORE Act on January 28, 2019 with broad-based support from affected counties, many cities and towns, local leaders, conservation groups, and a wide range of outdoor industry representatives, the bill quickly gained momentum with a House Natural Resources Committee hearing in April. The bill passed through committee in June, and passed the full House of Representatives in October.
Resources
House and Senate Bill text, a fact sheet, frequently asked questions, updated maps, letters of support, and more are available at www.bennet.senate.gov/COREAct.
B-roll and other media resources are available HERE.