Congressman Jeff Hurd of Colorado’s Third District spoke with constituents at a small, friendly gathering in Towaoc on Friday.
The event was not in a town-hall format, but had Hurd, a Republican, discussing issues with participants as he moved from table to table.
A proposed national conservation area on the lower Dolores River was one of the topics he addressed. Colorado’s senators both support legislation creating the NCA, but Hurd has stayed neutral
In response to questions from Amber Clark and Jay Loschert of Dolores River Boating Advocates, Hurd said he’s heard concerns that an NCA could lead to a national monument.
Clark said there’s never been a case of a president taking an existing NCA and designating it as a monument.
In the case of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, she noted, locals had the opportunity to create an NCA, but chose not to. After that, President Clinton designated the monument.
Hurd asked what problem an NCA would solve.
Clark gave a short synopsis of how a diverse group of stakeholders, who began working in 2008, decided an NCA on the lower Dolores made sense and then developed the proposal.
A section of the Dolores River has been designated by federal agencies as suitable for designation as a Wild and Scenic River, she explained. If such a designation is made, it carries with it a federal reserved water right.
In addition, there is concern about the status of three native fish species in the Dolores. If they should be declared endangered, water in the river might be allocated as necessary for their survival.
The stakeholders group decided that an NCA could protect both water rights and the scenery and natural resources in the river corridor.
The proposed NCA removes the possibility of a WSR designation and of a federal reserved water right, protects valid existing rights, but also limits new developments.
“The goal was to find a balance where the federal reserved water right was taken off the table but this amazing place was also protected,” Clark said.
“We worked on this legislation for so many years.”
She said the NCA “allows for local creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.”
“Public lands are probably one of the most high-level topics we have in terms of public engagement,” Hurd said. He noted that he had voted against selling major swaths of public land.
“I’m looking at it carefully,” he said of the NCA proposal.
Hurd was also asked about cuts to Medicaid, which reports say threaten the viability of Southwest Memorial Hospital.
“If we lose our hospital it’s going to be a disaster for the community,” constituent Susan Rain told him.
“I want to make sure that we preserve Medicaid,” Hurd said.
But, he said, the rate of Medicaid spending has been increasing dramatically.
“My concern is the spending trajectory was not sustainable.”
He said he believes the stricter requirements for able-bodied adults to prove that they are eligible for Medicaid, which were part of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” H.R. 1, make sense.
Rain said the increased requirements mean more work for the people who check documentation and verify eligibility. “It doesn’t have the impact that was hoped in terms of reducing usage,” she said.
Hurd said he sees Medicaid spending as similar to an engine that is leaking oil. “I feel we need to fix the engine,” he said. “Putting more oil into it doesn’t fix it.”
“I don’t think putting less oil into it fixes it either,” Rain said.
Joanne Davis, who with her husband owns the Dolly Wampus Chocolate Factory near a proposed solar-energy project in Montezuma County, brought up her concerns about having the project nearby.
Hurd said the need for energy will be increasing and he has worked with U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, a Nevada Democrat, on a bipartisan bill to promote the development of geothermal energy.
“There are places in Southwest Colorado that have a huge potential,” Hurd said. “It’s pretty reliable in terms of energy.”
