Senate Committee Advances Dolores River Conservation Bill, Local Leaders Urge House Action

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee moved the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act out of committee on December 22, 2025, in a bipartisan vote that clears a key legislative hurdle. Sponsored by Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, the bill would establish a National Conservation Area and a Special Management Area focused on protecting the corridor's Outstandingly Remarkable Values, while explicitly safeguarding existing water rights, private property, and allocations associated with the Dolores Project and McPhee Reservoir.

Committee passage is a significant step for a proposal rooted in years of local planning and negotiation. The measure is intended as an alternative to a Wild and Scenic designation, offering protections designed to reflect regional priorities and legal arrangements around water and land use. Supporters point to the decades long work of the Lower Dolores Plan Working Group and to dozens of letters of support submitted by local and tribal governments and other stakeholders as evidence of broad backing.

For residents of Dolores County the bill promises to anchor federal protections that may influence recreation, landscape conservation, and long term planning for the canyon corridor. Crucially for agricultural and municipal water users, the legislation contains language to preserve current water rights and the allocations tied to the Dolores Project, easing concerns that federal protection might interfere with existing water management or private property interests.

The immediate hurdle is the House of Representatives. Local officials including county commissioners from Montezuma County and La Plata County have formally urged House members to act, naming Representative Jeff Hurd as a potential sponsor or supporter. If the House does not take up a companion bill, the Senate measure cannot advance to final passage.

Senator Bennet commented on the committee outcome and next steps saying, "I’m very glad that Dolores NCA passed out of the committee ... I will consult with Congressman Hurd ... to try to get it over the finish line." Lawmakers and local stakeholders now face a period of coordination as they seek a House partner and prepare for the negotiations that will shape how protections are implemented on the ground.