Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Bruce Westerman

Great American Outdoors Act 250 Would Tackle National Park Maintenance Backlog
Fox News, Approved, National

Great American Outdoors Act 250 Would Tackle National Park Maintenance Backlog

By Kevin D. Roberts and Chris Barnard | Fox News Bill would add a foreign visitor surcharge to help cover $40 billion in deferred maintenance. Conservatives have long understood that conservation is not about locking away America's natural treasures, but stewarding them through responsible use so future generations can enjoy the same public lands that earlier generations worked hard to secure. Just six years ago, President Donald Trump paid tribute to that legacy when he signed the original "Great American Outdoors Act" into law. That bill established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), which budgeted for countless infrastructure projects within our most precious landscapes. But that program expired last year, threatening the future of A...
The warning before SPEED: How an ongoing Colorado wolf dispute shaped the permitting debate
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The warning before SPEED: How an ongoing Colorado wolf dispute shaped the permitting debate

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Before Congress voted to overhaul the nation’s permitting process, a Colorado lawmaker had already issued a formal warning that federal law was being set aside in the rush to move forward. On December 13, 2024, Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a detailed letter to then–Interior Secretary Deb Haaland arguing that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction plan triggered federal jurisdiction and could not legally proceed without updated federal Resource Management Plans and a proper National Environmental Policy Act review. She asked the Department of the Interior to press pause on any additional wolf imports until those federal duties were met. More than a year later, the House passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic De...