ICYMI: During Committee Markup, Heinrich Spotlights Need to Pass His Bipartisan Legislation to Complete Continental Divide Trail
WASHINGTON — In his opening statement at a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee business meeting to examine pending legislation, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the Committee’s Ranking Member, emphasized the need to pass legislation to improve New Mexicans’ access to their public lands, including his bipartisan Continental Divide Completion Act, which would complete the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail to better maintain the trail’s purpose while ensuring a safer more enjoyable journey for hikers.
In addition to the Continental Divide Completion Act, Heinrich also highlighted the need to pass U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act to improve coordination of New Mexico land grants and public land agencies, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet’s (D-Colo.) Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, which protects the Dolores River in Colorado by establishing a National Conservation Area and Special Management Area in the public land surrounding the river, and U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis’ (R-Wyo.) Wyoming Education Trust Modernization Act, which allows Wyoming greater flexibility on how to manage revenue from their state land.
“The CDT is not just for through-hikers; for many New Mexicans, the CDT is their local trail. The trail where they walk their dog or spend time with their families. And the problem has been that there are still many gaps in the trail, where hikers have to literally hike on roads, even highway shoulders to connect from one segment to the next,” noted Heinrich.
“The Continental Divide Completion Act, which we will consider today, would direct the land management agencies to work with trail users and local communities to fill in the gaps and complete this trail,” continued Heinrich. “I want to thank Senator Daines for partnering with me on this legislation.”
A video of Heinrich’s opening remarks is here.
A transcript of Heinrich’s remarks as delivered is below:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and I am pleased to see us considering 12 bills today. I hope that we can build on this for the future.
And I want to point out that our agenda today includes the Continental Divide Completion Act, a bill I introduced along with Senator Daines.
The CDT stretches from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, crossing more than 3,000 miles of some of the most rugged terrain in the U.S.
While Senator Daines and I disagree on which portions of the trail are more scenic, we agree on getting this across the finish line.
The trail is part of the Triple Crown of hiking and brings visitors from around the world to climb the spine of the North American continent.
And for the mountain towns along the way, the trail really means economic development, it means good jobs, and it means money in their pockets.
The CDT is not just for through-hikers; for many New Mexicans, the CDT is their local trail. The trail where they walk their dog or spend time with their families.
And the problem has been that there are still many gaps in the trail, where hikers have to literally hike on roads, even highway shoulders to connect from one segment to the next.
The Continental Divide Completion Act, which we will consider today, would direct the land management agencies to work with trail users and local communities to fill in the gaps and complete this trail.
I want to thank Senator Daines for partnering with me on this legislation.
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And while there are too many bills on today’s agenda to mention all of them, but I do want to quickly highlight three others:
S. 1363 would improve coordination between New Mexico land grants and the public land agencies on traditional uses of public land.
S. 1787 would protect the Dolores River in Colorado by establishing a National Conservation Area and Special Management Area on the public land along this river.
And lastly, S. 2273 would allow the state of Wyoming greater flexibility in how they manage state revenues derived from state lands.
New Mexico recently needed Congressional action to change how we use state land revenues, so I know how important it is that this committee address these state trust land issues quickly as they arise.
And I’ll hold the rest of my comments on other bills until we reach them on the agenda, and yield back my time.
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