Stop the GORP Act before it costs us our future

Editor:

The so-called Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act (GORP) is being marketed as conservation, but for those of us who live and work here, it looks a lot more like control, restriction and economic harm.

This bill, backed by Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, along with Representatives Joe Neguse and Jeff Hurd, would place over 730,000 acres of public land across western Colorado under new federal restrictions.

That includes land in Gunnison, Delta, Hinsdale, Saguache, Pitkin and Ouray counties, land that our communities rely on for jobs, recreation and economic stability.

Let’s be clear about what this means.

In Delta County alone, 74,000 acres would be blocked from oil and gas development, with another 49,000 acres placed under “no surface occupancy” meaning no roads, no access, no opportunity. Mining, drilling and timber projects would be shut down.

Meanwhile, more than 730,000 acres are effectively locked up, traded for something as minor as a single motorboat ramp. That’s not a fair exchange; it’s a loss of control over our own land.

The impact doesn’t stop there.

This bill puts critical headwaters at risk, opening the door for federal control to override local water decisions. That threatens farmers, ranchers and entire communities that depend on reliable water access.

It also restricts recreation. Off-road vehicles, snowmobiles and future trail development could be shut down or severely limited, hurting tourism and local businesses that depend on outdoor access.

There are also serious concerns about the transfer of approximately 18,500 acres of Pinecrest Ranch into Ute Mountain Ute trust, which would remove that land from local tax rolls, cutting funding for schools, fire departments, law enforcement and infrastructure, without local consent.

In Montrose County, the consequences are immediate and measurable. The local sawmill industry could lose 333 to 624 jobs, including impacts to Montrose Forest Products, a major employer with 240 workers. That alone could mean an estimated $800,000 annual loss in tax revenue, money our communities rely on for basic services.

And for what?

A complicated web of federal designations, wilderness, conservation areas, special management zones and no-surface-use areas that ultimately strip local voices out of land-use decisions. Grazing is reduced, energy development is blocked, timber is restricted and access is limited.

We already have over a million acres under federal protection in this region from Black Canyon National Park to the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. Yet, GORP pushes even further, locking up more land while ignoring the people who actually live here.

This isn’t balanced conservation. This is federal overreach.

The GORP Act would limit local control, put jobs and community resources at risk and take critical land and water decisions out of the hands of the people most affected.

If our representatives truly serve their constituents, they should be listening to the communities that will bear the consequences, not outside interests.

I urge Representative Jeff Hurd to reconsider his support and stand with the people of western Colorado.

Call his office at 202-225-4676 and ask him to oppose the GORP Act.

Our land. Our water. Our livelihoods. Our voice.

Tom Marshall

Gunnison County