Public lands sell-off plan draws blowback among Colorado Democrats
U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat, speaks at a press conference on protecting public lands May 28, 2025, at the Lake Estes Marina. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
Democratic members of the Colorado congressional delegation criticized a recent proposal by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, to allow the federal government to sell off more than 2 million acres of public land. The proposal covers 11 Western states, including Colorado.
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.
'(This proposal) is a five alarm fire for hunters, for fishermen, for conservationists, for recreationists and for everyday Colorado folks who enjoy these lands and who are committed to preserving them for future generations,' Neguse said. 'The fact that they are potentially trying to auction off these lands to pay for President (Donald) Trump's reckless tax agenda, tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations, in my view, is shameful.'
Neguse represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, 60% of which is made up of public lands.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Lee's proposal would insert the public lands sell-off measure into the GOP 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill, which was passed by the House and is now before the Senate. Under the proposal, state and local governments would have priority to purchase the federal lands, and areas that already have a designation — like national parks, national monuments and mining claim sites — would be safe from sale.
Public lands advocates fear for Colorado's national parks under Trump budget proposals
Colorado is home to 23 million acres of federal public lands, which play a significant role in many local economies. Sarah Shrader, the president of the Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition in Grand Junction, called on Congress to save Colorado's public lands from sale.
'These lands must remain protected, accessible and managed for the benefit of everyone, not just a few,' Shrader said. 'It's an economic imperative, an environmental responsibility and a moral commitment to future generations.'
Tony Prendergast, a hunting guide and rancher based in Crawford, pointed to the widespread support of his community for the protection of public lands, regardless of their political affiliation.
'There's nothing like this issue that will fire up people like me to get involved politically,' Prendergast said. 'The depth of the anger I feel, and the disappointment in those elected officials who are putting this proposal forward and those who will support this, is intense for me.'
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.'
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
an hour ago
Police in northeast Ohio arrest man who allegedly menaced GOP US Rep. Max Miller on interstate
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A northeast Ohio man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he threatened and spewed antisemitic epithets at Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller while the two were traveling on an interstate highway near Cleveland. Police in Rocky River said Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, voluntarily turned himself in with counsel present and is awaiting an appearance in municipal court. A message was left with his lawyer seeking comment. Miller, who is Jewish, called 911 while driving on Interstate 90 on his way to work Thursday. He reported that another driver was cutting him off, making profane hand gestures, showing a Palestinian flag and shouting death threats targeted at him and his 1-year-old daughter. After an interview with police, Miller filed a complaint against Hamdan alleging aggravated menacing and sought a criminal protective order. Local police continue to investigate with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's office and the Rocky River prosecutor. The Ohio Jewish Caucus praised Rocky River police and extended their thoughts to Miller and his family, noting the incident followed by just days the politically motivated shootings in Minnesota, which left two people dead and two others injured. 'Enough is enough," the all-Democratic legislative alliance said in a statement. "There is no place for this type of violence — whether it be political, antisemitic, or ideological — whatsoever. We believe we can solve our differences with humility, not hatred.'
an hour ago
Judge asks if troops in Los Angeles are violating the Posse Comitatus Act
SAN FRANCISCO -- California's challenge of the Trump administration's military deployment in Los Angeles returned to a federal courtroom in San Francisco on Friday for a brief hearing after an appeals court handed President Donald Trump a key procedural win. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer put off issuing any additional rulings and instead asked for briefings from both sides by noon Monday on whether the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits troops from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil, is being violated in Los Angeles. The hearing happened the day after the 9th Circuit appellate panel allowed the president to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed in response to protests over immigration raids. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in his complaint that 'violation of the Posse Comitatus Act is imminent, if not already underway' but Breyer last week postponed considering that allegation. Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran, traveled to Los Angeles on Friday and met with troops, including U.S. Marines who have been deployed to protect federal buildings. According to Vance, the court determined Trump's determination to send in federal troops 'was legitimate' and he will do it again if necessary. 'The president has a very simple proposal to everybody in every city, every community, every town whether big or small, if you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the National Guard because it's unnecessary,' Vance told journalists after touring a federal complex in Los Angeles. Vance's tour of a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command center came as demonstrations have calmed after sometimes-violent clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and break-ins that followed immigration raids across Southern California earlier this month. Tens of thousands have also marched peacefully in Los Angeles since June 8. National Guard troops have been accompanying federal agents on some immigration raids, and Marines briefly detained a man on the first day they deployed to protect a federal building. The marked the first time federal troops detained a civilian since deploying to the nation's second-largest city. Breyer found Trump acted illegally when, over opposition from California's governor, the president activated the soldiers. However, the appellate decision halted the judge's temporary restraining order. Breyer asked the lawyers on Friday to address whether he or the appellate court retains primary jurisdiction to grant an injunction under the Posse Comitatus Act. California has sought a preliminary injunction giving Newsom back control of the troops in Los Angeles, where protests have calmed down in recent days. Trump, a Republican, argued that the troops have been necessary to restore order. Newsom, a Democrat, said their presence on the streets of a U.S. city inflamed tensions, usurped local authority and wasted resources. The demonstrations appear to be winding down, although dozens of protesters showed up Thursday at Dodger Stadium, where a group of federal agents gathered at a parking lot with their faces covered, traveling in SUVs and cargo vans. The Los Angeles Dodgers organization asked them to leave, and they did. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lifted a downtown curfew that was first imposed in response to vandalism and clashes with police after crowds gathered in opposition to agents taking migrants into detention. Trump federalized members of the California National Guard under an authority known as Title 10. Title 10 allows the president to call the National Guard into federal service when the country 'is invaded,' when 'there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government,' or when the president is otherwise unable 'to execute the laws of the United States.' Breyer found that Trump had overstepped his legal authority, which he said allows presidents to control state National Guard troops only during times of 'rebellion or danger of a rebellion.' 'The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of 'rebellion,' ' wrote Breyer, a Watergate prosecutor who was appointed by President Bill Clinton and is the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. The Trump administration argued that courts can't second-guess the president's decisions. The appellate panel ruled otherwise, saying presidents don't have unfettered power to seize control of a state's guard, but the panel said that by citing violent acts by protesters in this case, the Trump administration had presented enough evidence to show it had a defensible rationale for federalizing the troops. For now, the California National Guard will stay in federal hands as the lawsuit proceeds. It is the first deployment by a president of a state National Guard without the governor's permission since troops were sent to protect Civil Rights Movement marchers in 1965. Trump celebrated the appellate ruling in a social media post, calling it a 'BIG WIN' and hinting at more potential deployments.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Suspected killer of Minnesota lawmaker is a doomsday 'prepper' with 'bailout' plan
Recently unsealed court filings reveal how Vance Boelter was preparing himself and his family for a catastrophic event. Police found his wife with two guns and around $10,000 in cash. The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in a brazen attack while dressed as a police officer is a doomsday "prepper" who set aside passports, guns and hordes of cash in the event of a catastrophe, newly unsealed federal court documents show. Vance Boelter's wife relayed the doomsday plans after she was interviewed by police during a manhunt for Boelter after he allegedly shot four people on June 14, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota. "During an interview, Boelter's wife identified that she had recently received a group text message from Boelter in a group text thread with their kids," FBI Special Agent Terry Getsch wrote. "The text stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house." Law enforcement stopped Boelter's wife while she was traveling with her four children to visit friends northwest of the metro area, the federal complaint said. In the car, officers found a safe, all of the children's passports as well as Boelter's, about $10,000 in cash, a revolver pistol in the glove box and another semi-automatic pistol in a cooler, the FBI says in the complaint. Boelter, 57, is accused of killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The new information about Boelter and his family comes nearly a week after the attack that investigators say Boelter "extensively researched" and planned. He compiled a list of mostly Democratic state lawmakers and their addresses; he fitted his SUV with lights and a fake license plate to resemble a police squad car; and he purchased a silicone mask and a cache of weapons, according to a 20-page affidavit filed in federal court. Details about what Boelter's wife was carrying come after federal investigators revealed that Boelter sent multiple texts to her and the children hours after the shootings. In a group chat, he sent the following message at 6:18 a.m.: 'Dad went to war last night … I dont wanna say more because I dont wanna implicate anybody.' Around the same time, his wife received a separate message from Boelter. 'Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around.' Boelter was arrested late June 15 following the largest manhunt in Minnesota state history, authorities said. Federal prosecutors charged him with several counts of murder and stalking. Minnesota authorities say they believe Boelter impersonated law enforcement to gain access to the victims' homes, exchanged gunfire with police and fled on foot outside Minneapolis. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Hortman's killing a "politically motivated assassination." What else to know about Boelter? At various times, Boelter has claimed to work in the food service industry. In other moments, he's claimed he runs large firms involved with 'security situations' overseas, including Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The recently unsealed court filings said Boelter worked at Red Lion, a 'security company and fishing outfit in Congo, Africa.' On LinkedIn, Boelter called himself CEO of Red Lion, according to reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, though the Red Lion website linked to his LinkedIn profile was down and Boelter said he was open to work. He also appeared as a speaker for a Minnesota nonprofit serving African immigrant communities. Minnesota Africans United, a Brooklyn Park nonprofit, said in a statement that Boelter participated in an August 2022 virtual webinar about trade and investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Boelter's participation as a speaker was facilitated by a third party, the statement said. He was never hired, paid or contracted by the nonprofit, which had no contact with him since the one-time appearance. A biography for the session described Boelter as having worked in Congo and for a security guard company. USA TODAY previously reported that a LinkedIn page believed to belong to Boelter showed he attended St. Cloud State University. University spokesperson Zach Dwyer confirmed Boelter graduated in 1996. Childhood friend called police on Boelter David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he has been sharing a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for a little more than a year and last saw him the night of June 13. At about 6 a.m. on June 14, he received a text from Boelter. "He said that he might be dead soon," said Carlson, who called police. Carlson, who has known Boelter since fourth grade, said Boelter worked for an eye donation center and stayed at the house because it was close to his job. Carlson said he feels betrayed by Boelter and heartbroken for the victims, adding: "His family has got to suffer through this." Federal authorities said the Boelter family home was in Green Isle, Minnesota, about one mile from where he was ultimately captured. The Minnesota city of around 600 people is about an hour southwest of the Twin Cities. Green Isle is a small community, Mayor Shane Sheets told USA TODAY. Boelter had no known political involvement or affiliation in the city, he said
