Public Comments

9.16.21 To the Congressional Commission: Thank you for your service to the people of Colorado regarding Congressional Redistricting. Thank you also for listening to the comments of those most impacted by your decisions. This comment is in reference to the September 15, 2021 staff map. This map certainly reflects the elevation of a community of interest that impacts all of Colorado…water. While it is an improvement, I will still suggest that is does not completely keep the West Slope water community of interest whole. The community of interest criteria can be somewhat subjective. However, the one community of interest that impacts all the people of Colorado as well as forest health, public lands, agriculture, recreation, etc, is WATER. The West Slope must be kept whole so that the Colorado River Basin can be managed by those who understand it best. This single basin impacts seven states and two countries. The idea of splitting this basin is clearly not in the best interest of the people of Colorado. WATER supercedes all other possible communities of interest because it is universal to all the people of our state and impacts all other communities of interest. As we face shortages, there are rural interests, urban interests and every other sector or group. In order for the rural water community, as well as others, to be best represented, please re-visit the Club 20/Action22/Pro 15 map. It meets the criteria, was developed collaboratively, and prioritized water as the primary community of interest for the good of ALL COLORADANS.

This comment is for the Second Congressional Staff Map regarding a desire for more competitive districts. Districts 1,2,4, 5 and 6 are heavily partisan in either direction which is unfortunate but I don't see an easy way out for those districts. There is some hope for districts 3, 7 and 8 District 3 has a 9.7% average. It could become more competitive by swapping portions with the heavily Democratic 2nd district and leaning Democratic 7th District District 7 has a -6.0% average. It could become more competitive by swapping portions with the heavily Republican 4th and 5th districts and leaning Republican 3rd district District 8 has a -3.9% average. It could become more competitive by swapping portions with the heavily Republican 4th district . With these adjustments it's possible to have 3 truly competitive districts (between -2.0 and +2.0) a benefit to all Coloradoans.

It makes no sense to lump Route, Jackson, Grand, Eagle and Summit counties in with Boulder and Larimer. The continental divide provides an obvious natural environmental break. The priorities of the front range significantly differ from those of the western slope. By adding these counties in with Boulder and Larimer counties it assures that the voices of those of us west of the population center will be overrun and our votes consistently muted. Furthermore, there are significant divides in the issues which are important between the communities including water, industry, educational opportunities, transportation, tourism and housing to name a few. PLEASE KEEP THE WESTERN SLOPE SEPARATE FROM THE FRONT RANGE!!

1. Why does the Commission seem incapable of drawing a map that doesn’t include some part of the I-25 corridor in almost every CD? We do not have anything in common with the I-25 Corridor or Boulder. Colorado is a lot more than the I-25 corridor. This Violates the most fundamental principle of congressional redistricting: that communities of interest have representation in our Congress. Give those areas on the Front Range their Congressional voices, and give a voice to the Western Slope by keeping all of the Western Slope in CD3. 2. The Western Slope’s vital relationship with water alone is enough to designate it as a community of interest bound by the shared responsibility of stewardship. However, the Western Slope also has commonalities regarding how the region uses water. The Western Slope’s agricultural, industrial, and recreation economies rely on well-informed local representatives to protect the community’s water at the state and federal levels. To split the Western Slope in any way would compromise the unity required to properly represent water interests in the region. There is also a clear divide between the Western Slope and front range communities, clearly designating western Colorado as a community with unique federal interests. Though many of our communities do not have the tax base of their front range counterparts, they still must provide the essential services of government: safe roads and bridges, law enforcement, public schools, and critical infrastructure with minimal resources. These challenges are not experienced by front range communities where virtually no federally owned lands exist. While federal lands are preserved for the benefit of all Americans, the day-to-day responsibilities of preservation fall upon those who live closest to those lands. These lands are managed for multiple uses – from livestock grazing to energy extraction to outdoor recreation. Over generations, communities on the Western Slope have worked with federal agencies to develop and demonstrate best practices for multi-use lands for the country and these uses are limited to county border. The Western Slope must be maintained as a result. Colorado has more than 24.4 million acres of forestland and many of these forests include the headwaters of rivers that provide reliable, affordable water supplies which are foundational to the environment, economy, and quality of life in rural Colorado. In fact, rangeland and forest are the predominant land uses in the Colorado Basin (85%), with forested land present throughout many parts of the basin. A substantial portion of the basin is comprised of federally owned land, with livestock, grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting as the predominant uses on those lands. A Colorado Statewide Forest Resource Assessment identified 642 watersheds susceptible to damaging wildfire, and 371 forested watersheds with high to very high risk from post-fire erosion, many of these watersheds, encompassing about 9.4 million acres of spruce-fir, aspen and pine forests that contain critical infrastructure for municipal drinking water supplies., ALL of these forests reside west of the continental divide. The San Luis Valley has unique agriculture interests and should not be divided. This region should be kept whole and united with other communities of interest. All of these above needs are best accomplished through the map released with the preliminary plan in June. I ask the Commission to adopt a map that closely resembles that initial plan. 3. Residents of rural Colorado have unique interests and need representation in Congress whose constituency does not have divided priorities. Our voices deserve to be heard, undiluted by inclusion in a district with suburban and urban residents. Whether agriculture or energy production, public lands, water, natural resources, or cooperative businesses, most of our issues and needs in Congress differ from those of our Front Range urban and suburban friends and fellow Coloradans. We all care about education and transportation, but no rural county has (or will have) light rail, and no urban county will understand the needs of a small ranch operation. We deserve representation in Congress that isn’t forced to choose between our needs and the issues that matter to suburbia. The June preliminarily plan contains the best map for rural America and will ensure that our voice is heard through two distinct rural districts. Furthermore, if Teller, Park, Chaffee and Fremont counties are no longer going to be in the Fifth Congressional District, then then should be in the Third Congressional District with other communities of interest not lumped in with Jefferson County and other suburban counties with which they have nothing in common. 4. Unfortunately, the first Staff Plan map released on September 3rd ignores the needs of rural America by removing rural counties in the current Third Congressional District that include Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, Garfield, Jackson and Grand counties and lumping them in with Boulder and Larimer, two counties with which they have little to nothing in common. This drastic departure from the current Congressional Districts is a disservice to both the residents of the Second and Third Congressional Districts. 5. CD3, as drawn in the preliminarily plan released in June, made great improvements that unified communities of interest and shared public policy concerns. Tourism, education, public health, education, transportation, water and other mutual issues of concern for our residents were well represented on that map. I was excited about the possibility of a district that ensured the people of the Third District were well represented and connected. Unfortunately, the first staff plan released September 3rd decimates the rural voice in northwest Colorado and disregards the critical communities of interest that make up the fabric of western Colorado. These recent changes to the map ensure that residents on the other side of the mountains and in Denver who share little in common with us are responsible for making decisions on behalf of rural Coloradans. Whether you are living in Craig, Durango, or Yuma - these changes to the map do not allow our voice to be heard or our interests to be fairly represented. 6. The Rocky Mountains create a natural boundary between the eastern and western parts of the state. The Western Slope has unique infrastructure, outdoor recreation and tourism challenges that unify our counties and communities of interest. Our infrastructure is not mainly centered around growing populations as it is in the front range, but around the mountain passes, rivers, and lands that make up the Western Slope. The heavy snow and other similar weather patterns in the west also connect the similar kinds of needs for roads, which vary from the eastern and front range part of the state. The economy, with regard to tourism and outdoor recreation, of the western slope contains almost all of the ski areas and encompasses what people think of when they think of Colorado: hiking, mountain biking, hunting, camping, fishing, skiing and snowmobiling. It is because of these reasons that I support the preliminary plan for CD-03 released in June. Whether we are speaking regarding shared interests such as our energy grid on the Western Slope, or our values at home, rural Coloradans on the Western Slope cannot be fairly represented without the region being kept intact. Keep the West Slope whole. 7. The preliminarily plan released on June 23rd is the fairest map that is consistent with the Congressional Constitutional language approved by voters. The Rocky Mountains provide the obvious divider between the western slope and front range communities. However, once Colorado’s water basins and federal lands are taken into consideration, the east-west configuration seems to be the only way to accurately represent Colorado’s population across the state. The Western Slope is responsible for the roughly 80% of water that leaves Colorado; this means that those of us who live in the Western Slope are responsible for maintaining the water basins. Water is often a major issue and it is important that we have one Congressman who is able to represent ALL of the water on the Western Slope. Additionally, federal lands comprise more than 55% of the land in western Colorado, which is in stark contrast to the front range. This necessitates the need for a single Congressman , and points to the reality that the daily responsibilities of upkeep for our federal lands are taken on by locals all across the Western Slope; we must be united to tackle these tasks. Please keep the Western Slope intact. 8. As a long-term resident of western Colorado, I always wonder how redistricting will affect our part of the state. The map released with the June 23 preliminarily plan respected our way of life and the geographical areas connected to that. The Western Slope is united in many ways, the large amount of federal lands and tourism being some of the top ways. The front range communities steward different types of lands and engage in different kinds of economic activities than we do on the West Slope, both of which need accurate representation. The preliminary plan serves the West Slope best. I urge the Commission to adopt a map that mirrors than plan. 9. The Western Slope is home to a majority of the state's forests and with the multitude of forest fires in the west slope over the last three decades, it is of utmost importance to keep the western portion of the state together so our representative can most effectively address this issue. Just over 55% of the western land in Colorado is federally-owned, so in order to get the management solutions we need for our forests on a federal level, we must keep the West Slope together. 10. Two rural districts currently make up a large portion of the state, representing various issues, industries and communities that require specific representation. The eastern plains and San Luis Valley are the home to many people that work in agriculture. We need to make sure the agriculture industry maintains a strong voice for these communities of interest at the federal level. Meanwhile, the Western slope is home to significant energy, tourism and public land communities. Ensuring two rural districts that include all communities of interest, as drawn in the map for the June preliminarily plan, will ensure Colorado’s urban and rural communities are best served by all of our Representatives. 11. The ski industry is one of the driving forces for tourism in Colorado and unites the western part of our state, as almost all ski resorts are west of the Continental Divide. It makes the most sense to keep all ski areas together in one district. Additionally, the mountainous area in the West that allows for such great skiing also creates unique challenges for infrastructure. While the front range can align infrastructure changes with growing populations, we in the West have to consider geography and weather in addition to population density. Keeping the Western Slope whole will put a Congressman in the best position to improve our infrastructure and best serve our ski communities. 12. Colorado generates over 95-million-acre feet of water annually, and about 10-million-acre feet leave the state through its borders. Of the 10-million-acre feet that leave Colorado, 81%, or 8.1-million-acre feet, exit through the Western Slope. This means that the Western Slope is responsible for stewarding a large portion of Colorado’s water, which will be made far more difficult if the Western Slope is split up. Communities like Moffat, Rio Blanco and Garfield will be ignored by their Representative and not receive the attention they deserve, particularly when it comes to water, if they are lumped into the Second Congressional District and removed from the Third. Please keep the Western Slope whole so our water-related issues can best be addressed in Congress.

Leave Montezuma County as is. Redistricting is nothing more than a power grab by politicians. Leave Montezuma county alone ! We are happy the way it is. J. Curt Nelsen

Thank you for the efforts put forth to redraw the redistricting maps. I am truly concerned that the latest map does not represent the best decisions for CO and the citizens of Fremont county. Far too often the rural needs and way of life are lost to votes of those living in the cities. If we are to be lumped in with those who do not understand those needs and way of life our votes will be useless because we do not have the numbers to fight it. Our best interest is not represented by this latest map. Your earliest map would serve our county much better. I understand each political side had their input. For me it isn't about political sides. It is about who knows our thoughts and wishes and needs. Who will better represent us? Someone with a more rural understanding. Please reconsider and put Fremont county with a group that will fulfill that need.

The June 23 Preliminarily Plan and the September 15th Second Staff Plan maps both respect the rural Colorado way of life and the geographical areas connected to that. These maps serve the West Slope and Eastern Plains best. I urge the Commission to adopt one of these two maps. The Western Slope is united in many ways, the large amount of federal lands and tourism being a few examples. The front range communities steward different types of lands and engage in different kinds of economic activities than we do on the West Slope, both of which need representation appropriate to the population, and distinctive communities.

As a 40+ year resident in Greeley, I support including Greeley in CD8. As one of the larger cities in Colorado, Greeley‘s interests, needs, and concerns are more urban than rural and it’s demographics more closely align with those of the communities in CD8 than the eastern plains.

I am not in agreement with the new lines drawn for the congressional districts. I believe that the Western Slope should have a voice in representation without compromise from front range interests. We are geographically and life-style different from the Front Range and deserve representation from like-minded people who should not be chosen or sourced from the front range communities. I am opposed to the current districting and would like to return to the previous map released in June.

These maps are an improvement over the previously proposed maps in keeping communities together. Thank you