Jeff Hurd

Editor:

I would like to thank U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd for supporting the discharge petition to release the Epstein files. It is long past time for the administration to come clean about the apparent cover-up, and in this instance, Hurd is representing the wishes of his constituents.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about his proposed GAME Act. On this issue, he appears to be abandoning his constituents’ interests to benefit a single individual while using legislation to bypass the normal public land-exchange process.

The GAME Act would trade approximately 2,100 acres of valuable land in the Roaring Fork Valley for a similarly sized tract near Meeker. But acreage alone does not make an exchange fair. The Roaring Fork Valley property has enormous value for recreation and wildlife and is worth many millions of dollars more than the dry ranch land offered in return.

Normally, an exchange like this would be handled by the Forest Service and/or BLM, with environmental and economic analysis, a fair-market-value assessment and an opportunity for public comment.

Why does Hurd believe this exchange needs an act of Congress? Is the deal so unfavorable to the public that it could not survive the normal process?

Our public lands should serve the public interest — not provide windfalls to private individuals. Hurd should explain to his constituents who benefit from this exchange how the values were determined and why the normal process is being bypassed.