Udall applauds Forest Service pledge on water rights

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado said Wednesday that he welcomed the U.S. Forest Service’s stated intention to not pursue the transfer of water rights from ski areas in exchange for permits to use public lands. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell issued the statement to the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee as a result of a compromise that Udall helped to broker. The move came in response to the “Water Rights Protection Act” being sponsored by Colorado 3rd District Congressman Scott Tipton, which was scheduled for mark up in the House Natural Resources Committee today. That bill, which has bipartisan support including co-sponsorship by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, would prohibit the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management from conditioning use permits on the transfer of relinquishment of privately held water rights. The Udall compromise would remove that practice for ski area permitting. The Garfield County Board of Commissioners and Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado have both lent their support to the Tipton bill, not only because of the potential impacts on ski areas but on agriculture and energy development in the region...more