COLORADO NO. 1 ON CONSERVATION SCORECARD
Among eight Western states, Colorado ranks first for access to public lands, responsible energy development and outdoor recreation, according to the Center for Western Priorities.
Colorado ranks first among eight Western states for access to public lands, responsible energy development and outdoor recreation in a scorecard released Tuesday by the Center for Western Priorities.
The Denver-based nonprofit conservation and advocacy group’s Conservation Scorecard ranks Colorado at the top among Intermountain West states when it comes to protecting and enhancing public lands.
Scored in 14 benchmarks, Colorado tops Montana, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho according to the center’s grading rubrics for policies governing outdoor recreation, energy development and access to public lands.
Jennifer Rokala, the center’s executive director, said state policies surrounding conservation are “a different story” than the national narrative, where the Trump administration is promoting more aggressive energy development on public lands and is mulling resizing some national monuments.
“Westerners understand that public lands are at the heart and soul of what makes living in the Western states so special,” Rokala said, noting her group’s hope that the scorecard “provides a roadmap” for lawmakers seeking to promote conservation in the West.
Colorado scored highest in both outdoor recreation and energy development. The state’s prioritization of outdoor recreation ranks it alone at the top of the scorecard, with dedicated funding for conservation and recreation infrastructure through the lottery-funded Great Outdoors Colorado, establishment of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and funding for outdoor education focused on getting kids outdoors. Utah was the first in the nation with an outdoor recreation office, and Montana this fall established an office to promote the state’s outdoor recreation economy.
“Here, there is an understanding that public lands are the critical infrastructure for a sustainable outdoor recreation industry and taking care of public lands is good
for business in Colorado,” said Scott Braden, the wilderness advocate for Conservation Colorado, noting that the state’s ability to lure the influential Outdoor Retailer trade show was anchored in the state’s celebration of public lands.
Colorado also ranks at the top of the list in the Intermountain West for responsible energy development, with the highest scores for public disclosure of fracking chemicals; spill reporting and transparency; baseline water testing; oil and gas methane reduction; and fair taxpayer return. Colorado’s online database of spills, rules requiring pre-drill and post-drill testing within a half mile of oil and gas wells, and industry-leading regulations requiring operators to capture methane and prevent leaks also scored the state at the top of the list.
Colorado has set national precedents with oil and gas regulations that safeguard air, water and public lands, said Dan Haley, the chief of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association.
“We have shown time and again that responsible energy development and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive,” Haley said. “It is possible to preserve our special places while also maintain our ability to provide good-paying jobs and affordable energy that benefits all of us. Some people want to tell you that you can’t have both of these things, but in Colorado, we do.”
It wasn’t a perfect sweep, though, for Colorado. The state lost points for ranking last for access to state trust lands, of which only 20 percent are open for hunting and fishing, the lowest of any state in the West. Colorado’s murky stream access rules, which allows floating on most major waterways but no anchoring or wading in water passing through private property, also cost the state points in the scorecard. Montana and Idaho, where boaters and fishermen are free to wade and walk along waterways through private land up to the high-water mark, ranked at the top of the list.