UPDATE: HB22-1104 was officially signed into law by Governor Polis on April 13, 2022. We will look into options for amending to include a voice for agriculture.

Two days ago, the final draft of Colorado House Bill 22-1104 was sent to Governor Polis for signing into law. This bill is dangerous not only to citizens who might want to utilize these "recreational" trails but also to Colorado agriculturalists who are vital contributors to safe and locally produced food resources. 

HB22-1104 provides no "exclusion for agricultural rangeland and cropland" which endangers the public by creating the environment for:

• injuries to trail users, livestock, and working animals
• contamination of crops by trail users and their pets
• coercion of private land owners to gain access to property 
• increased risk of wildfire due to improper disposal of lit cigarettes or other smoking apparatuses
• crop damage due to trail users deviating from the prescribed paths
• loss of grazing access for permitted livestock owners who have been creating carbon sinks using proper range management techniques on Colorado grasslands to mitigate the negative impacts of greenhouse emissions in our state for generations
• potential land and water contamination due to the use of concrete to create these trails
• lawsuits due to injuries without clear liability ownership

These are just a handful of the dangers this bill exposes the public and Colorado agriculturists to as the power of consideration that would impact "an area of significant rural character" rests solely in the wheelhouse of the "Public Entity" which is defined as "the state, a local government, or a district."

The way HB22-1104 is written, there is no mandated line of communication with any agricultural commission or entity, unlike the provision for state/federally listed species and species/habitats of conservation concern where the "Public Entity" must consult and coordinate with the Division of Parks and Wildlife.

This truncation of communication leaves our agriculturalists vulnerable to irreparable harm. It is a slap in the face of our agricultural communities who are integral to the State of Colorado and contribute $47 BILLION annually to the State's economy, employing almost 200,000 people. 

We ask you, Governor Polis, to honor your words of support for Colorado agriculture and SEND THIS BILL BACK!