The U.S. House of Representatives — on its second try — passed a bill to preserve 2 million acres as wilderness in nine states, including 315,000 acres in Colorado.
On March 11, the bill failed, by two votes, to get a necessary two-thirds approval for a procedural vote.
Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs and Mike Coffman of Aurora voted against the bill then and voted against it Wednesday.
The two lawmakers said they objected to the sweeping nature of the legislation — a collection of 170 different bills — and its estimated $10 billion price tag.
“When there is a $9 billion maintenance backlog on the Park Service land that we already have, why are we spending $10 billion that we will have to borrow to acquire even more land?” Coffman said in a statement.
Lamborn said that while the bill contained some good things, it is “a job killer” because it prohibits energy production on more than 3 million acres of federal lands.
The bill passed 285-140 and now goes to President Barack Obama to be signed.
The legislation — the largest expansion of the country’s wilderness lands in 15 years — includes parts of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Dominguez and Escalante canyons.
The bill places 250,000 acres in Rocky Mountain National Park under the wilderness designation, which requires the land to remain untouched by any development.
Bill Pinkham, mayor of Estes Park, at the edge of the park, said: “The renowned backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park — which is so important to our local identity and economy — will be protected for future generations.”
The bill also creates a 210,000-acre national conservation area around Escalante and Dominguez canyons south of Grand Junction, including a 65,000-acre wilderness area.
Colorado public-works projects in the bill are:
• A $195 million authorization to help finance the $300 million Fryingpan-Arkansas Project to move water from the Fryingpan and Roaring Fork rivers to the Arkansas River basin.
• An $8.25 million authorization to rehabilitate the Jackson Gulch irrigation canal, which delivers water from Jackson Gulch Dam to residents, farms and businesses in Montezuma County.
In addition, the legislation designates parts of South Park and the San Luis Valley as national heritage areas.
The South Park National Heritage Area would protect 19 working ranches.
The Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area — covering part of Conejos, Costilla and Alamosa counties — is being recognized as the confluence of American Indian, Latino and Anglo cultures.
“This is one of the proudest days of my legislative career,” said Rep. John Salazar, a Manassa Democrat. “These bills represent years of work and input from communities across my district.”
The bill also would create the Front Range Mountain Backdrop Act, directing the U.S. Forest Service to work with Front Range communities to protect open spaces around the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
