The Outdoors’ Greatest Advocate
By Jenn Fields
Outdoorists might not know the name Joe Neguse, but they’ve probably recreated in the district he represents in Congress. Boulder’s iconic Flatirons, Vail’s Back Bowls, Rocky Mountain National Park’s 350 miles of trails—it’s all in Rep. Neguse’s district: Colorado’s 2nd.
Given what lies within the boundaries of his district, it’s no surprise that Neguse spends a lot of his time on Capitol Hill championing the interests of people who love to play outside and the outdoor industry itself. His recent legislative pushes have included reintroducing the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, which would protect 400,000 acres of public lands in the state; the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act to streamline the permitting process for outdoor guides and outfitters; and the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development, or SHRED Act, which would let local national forests keep some of the fees ski areas pay to the U.S. Forest Service to support recreation here (such as trail and facilities maintenance, permitting, and other visitor services).
“The outdoor recreation economy is a huge economic driver for the state of Colorado, and in particular in my congressional district, but it’s also part of our way of life in Colorado,” he says. He cited an example—himself: “I’m driving home right now, and tomorrow morning, my wife and I are planning on going on a hike with our daughter on one of Boulder County’s amazing hikes, just a few miles away.” (His little girl, Natalie, will turn 3 in August.)
The 37-year-old congressman was just elected to the House in 2018, but he got his start in politics early. When he was a recent college graduate, he started a youth voter registration and mobilization nonprofit, New Era Colorado, and in 2008, while he was in law school, he was elected to the board of regents of his alma mater, University of Colorado. His election to represent Colorado’s 2nd marked some firsts: the son of East African refugees, Neguse is the first Eritrean American to serve in Congress, and he’s Colorado’s first African American representative on the Hill as well.
But he sees his service in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of a tradition of leadership from Coloradans on public lands and conservation issues. “We have long been a state that has had an outsize role in shaping federal public policy as it relates to public lands,” Neguse says. “We’ve had multiple Coloradans who’ve served as secretary of the interior, and I now serve as the chair of the public lands subcommittee in the House, and it’s part and parcel to having a state that is both rich in incredible public lands and wilderness areas, and a population, a citizenry, that is very much committed to preserving those lands and recognizes the inherent need for us to do that.”
Neguse spoke to Outdoor Retailer (just after arriving at the Denver airport on a trip home from Washington) about climate change, wildfires in the West, his modern take on the Civilian Conservation Corps, the ski fee retention bill, and how he’s trying to help guides and outfitters after a tough year.
CONGRESSMAN, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO GET THE CORE ACT PASSED? ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO IT THIS YEAR?
I am hoping that this year is the year that we finally get this done and get it across the finish line. We’ve passed the CORE Act three times in the House over the course of the last two-and-a-half years. It has broad bipartisan support; it’s one of the few public lands bills that has significant support within each local jurisdiction that will be impacted by the bill. Obviously some of the protections that are included in the CORE Act are protections for which many have been fighting for generations—the 100,000 acres of wilderness and recreation and conservation areas in the White River National Forest, the Thompson Divide withdrawal. Behind every provision of this legislation stands a large group of folks at the grassroots level who have worked very hard to get the bill to where it is today.
I am hopeful that this year will be the year that we finally get this done. Of course, Sen. (Michael) Bennet and Sen. (John) Hickenlooper, our new senator in the United States Senate representing Colorado, are both working tremendously hard to get it across the finish line in the Senate. We also now have a White House that expressed its support, so with a White House that has committed to signing this bill, and with two Democratic senators from the state of Colorado championing the measure, I am very optimistic about the potential of its passage later this year.
COLORADO’S OUTDOOR RECREATION ECONOMY IS HUGE—IT ACCOUNTS FOR $37 BILLION IN CONSUMER SPENDING ANNUALLY AND MORE THAN AHALF A MILLION JOBS, AND A LOT OF THAT HAPPENS IN YOUR DISTRICT. BUT YOU ALSO REPRESENT GROWING SUBURBS, RANCH LANDS, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES WHERE FOLKS LIKE THEIR OIL ANDGAS INDUSTRY JOBS. WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY FOR ADVOCATING FOR PROGRESSIVE CLIMATE ACTION AND WILDERNESS PROTECTION WITH CONSTITUENTS WITH SUCH DIVERSE INTERESTS?
Our approach has always been to do what we describe as leading locally, which is listening and following the leadership at the local level that we see reflected in communities across the 2nd district. As you said, I represent a district that is very diverse, and geographically it’s larger than the state of New Jersey. We have incredible public lands—over 50% of my district is public lands—some of the best skiing in the world, in places like Vail and Breck and Winter Park, and the White River National Forest and the suburbs in Boulder and Larimer County. My experience has been that my constituents, whether they’re in rural areas or urban areas or mountain communities, all care, fundamentally, about protecting our environment and protecting these public lands that we’re so blessed to have in our state because it’s part of our way of life; it’s key to the ethos of every Coloradan…the next logical extension of (that) is the existential threat of climate change and taking climate action, and doing so on an expedited time table.
My experience has been that the communities I represent support the bold climate action proposals that we’ve introduced in the United States Congress. I represent a district that arguably has more localities that have committed to 100% renewable energy than in any other district in the country. When we introduce measures like turning the Capitol complex to 100% renewable energy by 2032, it’s to follow the lead of the community I represent and try to emulate the positive public policy that’s enacted here at the local level at the federal level.
I think our constituents are supportive of taking on the existential threat of climate change because, of course, they also experience the visceral impacts of it every day, and perhaps the most recent display of that was the terrible wildfires we experienced last year, when in the span of six months, our district was the epicenter for wildfires in Colorado. The two largest wildfires in the history of our state—a 137-year history—were in my district, in Grand County and Larimer County, last October, raging simultaneously. So when I have conversations with folks in Grand Lake or in Larimer County, in Fort Collins or Estes Park, there is strong consensus among those I talk to that we have to take decisive action to fight climate change and to build resiliency within our communities.
YOU’VE BEEN TOURING THOSE BURN SCARS AND HARD-HIT TOWNS THIS SPRING. THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN IS PROVIDING SOME AID TO THOSE LOCAL ECONOMIES RIGHT NOW, BUT HOW ARE YOU HOPING TO HELP THOSE COMMUNITIES IN THE COMING YEARS AS WE CONTINUE TO FACE CLIMATE-CHANGE-AFFECTED WILDFIRE SEASONS? IS THAT SOMETHING YOUR CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS BILL WILL ADDRESS?
That’s precisely right. We’re pretty excited about the proposal because we believe that with great challenges come great opportunities.Wildfires, and climate change more broadly, is a massive challenge for our community, for our state, for our country, for our planet.
As it relates to the Rocky Mountain West and the real, pervasive risk of wildfires and a wildfire season that is no longer a season but is year long, according to most fire officials you speak to in our state, we really need a massive investment in terms of resiliency, mitigation, suppression, recovery—all under this broad theme of restoring our lands and, in turn, restoring our communities. And that’s what motivated us to introduce the 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps, which has gained a lot of momentum since we introduced it last year with Sen. (Ron) Wyden (D-Oregon). And of course we’re grateful that President Biden has made it a priority of his, as enunciated in the American Jobs Plan. It’s a $10 billion investment taking a page out of FDR’s playbook to reimagine the Conservation Corps of the 1930s, which literally built Red Rocks.
I was just there. We did a multiple-day tour across our district, and we ended at Mt. Morrison Civil Conservation Camp, which is one of the few camps of its nature that are preserved. And to see the architectural masterpiece that is Red Rocks and to learn more about the incredible work done by that generation’s triple C, and to think that we could apply that same ingenuity and creativity and imagination today, and to employ a new generation of workers in our public lands, doing trail restoration, maintenance work, addressing the deferred maintenance backlog in our national parks, like Rocky Mountain National Park, which I have the pleasure of representing and is a crown jewel in the NPS system, doing wildlife habitat preservation—there’s a massive need for that type of investment. So the triple C would be an attempt to provide that investment, and we think would be an incredible way to address multiple challenges all at the same time—climate change, wildfire risk, unemployment.
The bill includes about $2 billion of relief funds for outfitters and guides. These are individuals and companies who hold U.S. Forest Service or Department of Interior special use permits, so being able to ensure that they have that seed capital to assist, given the massive losses they sustained during the course of the pandemic, is really important and an important component of this proposal.
COLORADO’S 2ND IS A MAJOR HUB FOR THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY, AND A FEW YEARS AGO, THE OUTDOOR RETAILER SHOW MOVED TO COLORADO BECAUSE THIS IS A PLACE WHERE ELECTED OFFICIALS LIKE YOU ARE FIGHTING ON BEHALF OF THE INDUSTRY AND THE PUBLIC LANDS IT DEFENDS. ARE THOSE KINDS OF ACTIONS FROM PRIVATE ENTERPRISES IMPORTANT FOR SENDING MESSAGES TO PEOPLE WHO CREATE POLICY LIKE YOURSELF?
Oh, they’re very important. And of course we were thrilled that the Show moved to Colorado. I had a chance to go and speak to folks at the Show a few years back. I think it’s reflective of our state’s commitment to sustainability and to preserving and protecting our public lands, and ultimately ensuring that these public lands remain in public hands and remain in public trust for the next generation to enjoy. And I’m grateful that we have a robust industry in the outdoor recreation industry that is supportive of those same goals.
ARE YOU STILL LOOKING FOR A REPUBLICAN CO-SPONSOR FOR THE SHRED ACT?
We just found one! Rep. Doug La Malfa (R-California). (Rep. Ann Custer, D-NewHampshire, and Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, have since introduced the bill.) And then we have Sen. (Michael) Bennet (D-Colorado) in the Senate. (Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, has since joined as well.)
DID THIS BILL COME ABOUT BECAUSE YOU WERE HEARING FROM CONSTITUENTS ABOUT CROWDED TRAILS AND NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES IN NATIONAL FORESTS WHEN THE PANDEMIC STARTED?
It was a combination. The bill was something that has been in the works for quite some time.We’ve heard from various outdoor recreation businesses, and the industry more broadly, about the need for reforms in terms of the forest service’s ability and capacity to be able to approve projects, and the backlog of work that remains—from some of the smallest ski operators to some of the largest ones. And of course the ancillary need from a recreation perspective for the forest service to have the resources it needs to do important work for local communities like Summit County and Eagle County. So this measure, by bringing those ski fee dollars from Washington back home to the West, so both the forest service here locally and, by extension, the communities locally can put those dollars to good use is a win-win.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN AN ENVIRONMENTALIST?
I think every Coloradan has their own story about how they first connected with the outdoors in a significant way. For me, I was born in Bakersfield, California, and we moved to Colorado when I was 5 years old, and I never left.
I can remember at a very early age going toRocky Mountain National Park with my dad and hiking and being in awe of the massive mountains and nature, wilderness in its most basic form. For me, those memories are memories I treasure, and now the ability to build those same memories with my daughter, it’s some-thing special, I think. And I suspect it’s not a particularly uncommon story because I think every Coloradan has their own version of that, whether it’s river rafting with their friends or going up with their family to ski for the first time at Copper Mountain—it runs the gamut. My family has always been enamored, as I think every Coloradan is, with our beautiful outdoors, and of course now I’m privileged to have the opportunity to do my small part in preserving the outdoors so my daughter and her children and her children’s children can enjoy those same wild places.
CONTROVERSIAL QUESTION: ARE YOU GOING TO TEACH YOUR DAUGHTER TO SKI OR TO SNOWBOARD?
Ah, I ski and my wife snowboards, so I suspect it’s going to be snowboarding. (He laughs.) I think my wife is going to win that argument.
WELL, YOUR DAUGHTER MIGHT HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT THAT TOO.
That’s also true! I think we’ll let her decide.She’ll probably follow what her mom does.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO UNWIND WHEN YOU COME HOME FROM WASHINGTON?
I want to keep the places I enjoy the most as private as possible!
AH, YOU DON’T WANT TO SHARE YOUR SPOTS! I DON’T BLAME YOU, IT IS CROWDED AROUND HERE.
Well, you live in Boulder County so you know it well. Boulder County over many years has made a critical investment in preserving its open space, and as a result, you have some of the best trails in the country.
We live in Lafayette, and there are a number of trails we take locally with our daughter and our dog, Teddy, just to walk. In terms of bigger hikes, Indian Peaks Wilderness is just an incredible place.
We don’t get on the slopes as much as we’d like, given my travel schedule to Washington, but we love skiing at Vail or Breck, and my wife and I got married at Copper.
WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, WHAT’S KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD LEGISLATE TOMORROW, IMMEDIATELY, IF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY?
I guess the part that keeps me up at night, and certainly what frustrates me the most, is that the answers to these questions are fairly apparent; they’re straightforward. We know what we need to do to meet the goals in the IPCC report. We know what we need to do from a resiliency and mitigation perspective so that we’re prepared the next time a wildfire begins to blaze. In my view, there’s not much debate about the solutions. There’s generally a consensus, certainly scientific consensus, about what we need to do to solve these very consequential challenges. What we lack, unfortunately, is political will, to accomplish it. So I think that’s the part that frustrates me because there are other challenges that we face as a country or as a society where the answer is not quite clear—we’re still debating, what are the right policy levers to solve that problem? That really is not the case when it comes to climate.
We know how to solve it, but the political leadership has been unwilling to do what is necessary. So that’s what keeps me up at night. When you’ve already reached a consensus and folks lack the political will to do what is necessary, that doesn’t bode well for the future.
At the same time, I draw inspiration from the fact that, in local communities, where that same consensus exists, the political will exists also, and there’s substantial progress being made, in terms of states and cities and tribes. So let’s hope that Washington can follow their lead. And I’m going to try to implore my colleagues to do just that.
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