In early February, Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet (D) and John Hickenlooper (D), and Rep. Joe Neguse (D) reintroduced the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act.
The legislation would protect over 400,000 acres of public land in Colorado by establishing new wilderness and conservation area, and safeguarding existing outdoor areas.
The bill was originally introduced last year in the Senate and House of Representatives and added to the House version of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, but was not included in the final version. Bennet secured a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the bill in November 2020, and the act is supported by a list of local communities and conservation groups.
The CORE Act combines four previously-introduced Colorado public land bills, which have been in development over the past decade: the Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness, and Camp Hale Legacy Act; the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act; the Thompson Divide Withdrawal and Protection Act; and the Curecanti National Recreation Area Boundary Establishment Act.
