Washington, D.C. — After Senate Republicans proposed selling over 3 million acres of public land, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet slammed the proposal as out of touch with Colorado and the American West.
Here’s what they’re saying:
Colorado Newsline: Public lands sell-off plan draws blowback among Colorado Democrats
After bipartisan opposition to a recent public land sale proposal in the House, the plan was axed. Senator Michael Bennet said he hopes there will be enough common ground to defeat the Senate proposal through continued negotiations.
“Public lands make Colorado, Colorado,” Bennet said. “They make the West, the West. They’re the foundation of our economy, and they represent treasured parts of our culture, our geography and our history.”
The Daily Sentinel: Lawmakers vow fight over public-land sales provision
Colorado’s U.S. senators are vowing to fight a proposal mandating the sale of millions of acres of public lands, as other elected officials and users of local federal acreage joined them Friday in decrying the idea.
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said during an online press conference Friday that “no matter your party, auctioning off our children’s and grandchildren’s inheritance is the last thing that we’re going to do. We’re going back to Washington and we’re going to continue to fight this.”
Aspen Public Radio: Proposed public lands sale draws bipartisan backlash, with hundreds of millions of acres on the table
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said that once these lands are sold, it’s nearly impossible to get them back.
“It’s an important part of our obligation as elected officials in our state and in the West to protect the work that our parents and grandparents did for us, much less the legacy that our kids and grandkids are gonna want to embrace,” he said.
Post Independent: Public lands in Colorado could be for sale if Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation proposal passes
Several Colorado Democrats — including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, U.S. Reps. Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen as well as state Sen. Dylan Roberts — joined Neguse in calling out Senate Republicans on Friday. The lawmakers referred to the proposal as radical, shameful, deeply unpopular and reckless.
Bennet said Friday that the difference is the “narrow ways that exist to go about it … value local discussion and local planning.”
“These are not decisions that should be made from Washington, D.C. They should never be made from there, he said.
Real Vail: Coloradans blast plan by Utah’s Lee to sell more than 2 million acres of public lands
Introduced Wednesday, the proposal would target “underused” public lands to sell for housing development, roads, water infrastructure and other projects, according to Lee. During a remote news conference Friday, the proposal drew disapproval from U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, as well as Reps. Joe Neguse of Lafayette, Jason Crow of Centennial and Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood.
After bipartisan opposition to a recent public land sale proposal in the House, the plan was axed. Bennet said he hopes there will be enough common ground to defeat the Senate proposal through continued negotiations.
“Public lands make Colorado, Colorado,” Bennet said. “They make the West, the West. They’re the foundation of our economy, and they represent treasured parts of our culture, our geography and our history.”
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