[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 22 (Thursday, February 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E166-E167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               INTRODUCTION OF COLORADO SCHOOL LANDS BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. Speaker, I am today again introducing a bill to modify 
the 1875 Act--usually referred to as the Colorado Enabling Act--that 
provided for admission of Colorado to the Union.
  The bill is similar to one I introduced in the 107th Congress. Its 
purpose is to remove any possible conflict between a decision of the 
people of Colorado and that original federal legislation under which 
some 3 million acres of federal lands were granted to our state.
  In granting the lands to Colorado, Congress provided that they were 
to be used as a source of revenue for the public schools--and for many 
years they were managed for that purpose.
  However, over the years the revenue derived from these lands has 
become a less and less significant part of the funding for Colorado's 
schools, while there has been an increasing appreciation of the other 
values of these lands.
  As a result, in 1996 the people of Colorado voted to amend our state 
constitution to permit part of these school trust lands to be set aside 
in a ``stewardship trust'' and managed to preserve their open space, 
wildlife and other natural qualities.
  To assure that this decision of the voters can be implemented, my 
bill would amend the original Colorado Enabling Act to modify the 
requirement that the state must raise revenue from the school-trust 
lands that are set aside for their natural resource values and 
qualities. Specifically, it would amend the 1875 Act to clearly allow 
the lands to be used for ``open space, wildlife habitat, scenic value, 
or other natural values,'' while still requiring that `'any income 
received for such uses or any other uses'' of the lands will be used 
only for the public schools.
  The bill does not include a specific limit on the acreage that could 
be placed in the stewardship trust, although the 1996 state legislation 
does set such a limit. I supported that part of the state legislation, 
but I think that whether that limit should be retained or revised 
should be decided solely by the people of Colorado, and not determined 
by Congress. So, under the bill I am introducing today that would be 
left to Colorado law to control.
  Mr. Speaker, Colorado has been experiencing rapid population growth. 
That is putting increasing pressure on all our undeveloped lands. In 
response, the people of Colorado have voted to allow some of these 
school-grant lands to remain as open spaces to be managed for their 
wildlife and other natural resources and values. This bill will keep 
faith

[[Page E167]]

with that decision by our voters by removing any conflict with federal 
law. I will do all I can to press for its speedy enactment.

                          ____________________