[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1511 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1511

    To provide for a study of options for protecting the open space 
  characteristics of certain land in and adjacent to the Arapaho and 
  Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2005

  Mr. Salazar introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for a study of options for protecting the open space 
  characteristics of certain land in and adjacent to the Arapaho and 
  Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Colorado Northern Front Range 
Mountain Backdrop Protection Study Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) rising dramatically from the Great Plains, the Front 
        Range of the Rocky Mountains provides a scenic mountain 
        backdrop to many communities in the Denver metropolitan area 
        and elsewhere in Colorado;
            (2) the portion of the range within and adjacent to the 
        Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests--
                    (A) includes a diverse array of wildlife habitats; 
                and
                    (B) provides many opportunities for outdoor 
                recreation;
            (3) the open space character of the Front Range of the 
        Rocky Mountains is an important esthetic and economic asset for 
        adjoining communities, making the communities attractive 
        locations for homes and businesses;
            (4) rapid population growth in the northern Front Range 
        area of Colorado has--
                    (A) increased recreational use of the Arapaho and 
                Roosevelt National Forests; and
                    (B) placed increased pressure for development of 
                other land within and adjacent to the National Forests;
            (5) while efforts by local governments and other entities 
        have provided important protection for portions of the Front 
        Range of the Rocky Mountains, especially in the northern Denver 
        metropolitan area, some portions remain unprotected and are at 
        risk of losing the open space qualities of the area; and
            (6) it is in the national interest for the Federal 
        Government, in collaboration with local communities, to assist 
        in identifying options for increasing the protection of the 
        mountain backdrop in the northern Front Range area of Colorado.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to identify options that 
may be available to assist in maintaining the open space 
characteristics of land that is part of the mountain backdrop of 
communities in the northern section of the Front Range area of 
Colorado.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Colorado.
            (3) Study area.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``study area'' means any 
                land in southern Boulder, northern Jefferson, and 
                northern Gilpin Counties, Colorado, that is located 
                west of Colorado State Highway 93, south and east of 
                Colorado State Highway 119, and north of Colorado State 
                Highway 46.
                    (B) Exclusions.--The term ``study area'' does not 
                include land within the city limits of the cities of 
                Boulder or Golden, Colorado.
            (4) Undeveloped land.--The term ``undeveloped land'' means 
        land--
                    (A) that is located within the study area;
                    (B) that is free or primarily free of structures; 
                and
                    (C) the development of which is likely to adversely 
                affect the scenic, wildlife, or recreational value of 
                the study area.

SEC. 4. COLORADO NORTHERN FRONT RANGE MOUNTAIN BACKDROP STUDY.

    The Secretary, in consultation with appropriate State and local 
agencies, shall--
            (1) conduct a study of land within the study area; and
            (2) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, submit to Congress a report that--
                    (A) describes the ownership of the land within the 
                study area;
                    (B) identifies any undeveloped land in the study 
                area that may be at risk of development; and
                    (C) identifies and makes any recommendations 
                concerning actions that could be taken by the United 
                States, the State, or any other parties to preserve the 
                open and undeveloped character of the study area.
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