Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act

The "Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act" aims to protect and manage significant natural landscapes across Colorado. It designates new wilderness areas, establishes wildlife conservation areas, and creates special management zones, primarily within the White River, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. The bill also establishes a new National Recreation Area and implements measures to protect the Thompson Divide region from new mineral development. Specifically, Title I focuses on the Continental Divide , adding thousands of acres to existing wilderness areas like Ptarmigan Peak, Holy Cross, and Eagles Nest, and designating new ones such as Hoosier Ridge and Tenmile Wilderness. It also designates the Williams Fork Mountains as a potential wilderness area, with its final status linked to future livestock grazing determinations. Three new Wildlife Conservation Areas —Porcupine Gulch, Williams Fork Mountains, and Spraddle Creek—are established with specific management guidelines to protect wildlife corridors and ecological resources, generally prohibiting motorized vehicles and commercial timber harvest. Title II addresses the San Juan Mountains , expanding the Lizard Head and Mount Sneffels Wilderness areas and creating the new McKenna Peak Wilderness. It also designates the Sheep Mountain and Liberty Bell East Special Management Areas to conserve their unique natural and cultural resources while maintaining wilderness character. This title also releases certain wilderness study areas, ensuring their management under applicable laws without further wilderness review. Title III focuses on the Thompson Divide , withdrawing approximately 200,000 acres of federal land from new mineral leasing, mining, and other disposal laws to preserve its agricultural, wildlife, and recreational values. To facilitate this protection, the bill establishes a program allowing existing oil and gas leaseholders to voluntarily relinquish their leases in exchange for federal lease credits. This title also creates the Greater Thompson Divide Fugitive Coal Mine Methane Use Pilot Program to inventory, capture, and utilize methane emissions from coal mines, promoting environmental and economic benefits. Finally, Title IV establishes the Curecanti National Recreation Area as a unit of the National Park System, encompassing approximately 50,300 acres. This area will be managed to allow recreational activities like boating, hunting, and fishing, while protecting its natural and scenic values. The bill outlines the transfer of administrative jurisdiction for certain lands, addresses grazing rights, and mandates the acquisition of public fishing easements to mitigate impacts from the Aspinall Unit water project.