Senate committee advances two nominees to State Board of Land Commissioners

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on April 23 advanced the appointments of Mark Harvey and Jim Pribble to the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners, forwarding both nominees to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation following a confirmation hearing.

The hearing opened with Nick Massey, interim director of the State Board of Land Commissioners, describing the board’s role and portfolio. "The state land board holds 2,800,000 acres of land and 4,000,000 acres of subsurface minerals," Massey said, and he told the committee the land board generated over $270,000,000 in revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 2024, distributing $135,000,000 to the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program.

Mark Harvey, introduced as the production-agriculture appointee, told the committee he is a "native of Western Colorado" and said he manages ranching operations on the Western Slope. "I support the constitutional amendment that charges the state to manage these lands for both revenue generation and sound stewardship," Harvey said, adding he would bring "real world ranching experience" and that he supports partnerships "with groups like CSU Extension and Trout Unlimited and Nature Conservancy." Jim Pribble, described by Massey as the citizen-at-large appointee, summarized his decades in public policy and board service and said he would bring "pragmatic, practical, common sense decision making" to the board.

Committee members questioned both nominees about how they would balance multiple uses of trust lands. Senators pressed Harvey and Pribble on grazing protections, renewable-energy siting, the process for renewing large leases, valuation of disparate land classes, and whether the board should give precedence to incumbent lessees or strictly follow a procurement process. Harvey said he was still familiarizing himself with many leases and maps and "would want to gather all the information I could" before deciding on disputed renewals. Pribble referenced the statutory fiduciary duty to pursue "reasonable and consistent income" while also stressing long-term stewardship and said the statutory language requires balancing potentially conflicting goals.

The committee heard additional details about the board’s mission and constraints: the board’s constitutional fiduciary duty to generate income for K–12 education, BEST program disbursements since 2008, and the board’s five-commissioner structure with required experience across several sectors. Senators also asked the nominees how they viewed the board’s role in employee and workforce housing on small, nonagricultural parcels near resort communities; both expressed conditional support for collaborative projects when local governments and counties backed them.

After the Q&A, the committee voted to move both appointments to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation. The roll call recorded unanimous support: Senators Catlin (yes), Henriksen (yes), Judette (aye), Pelton B. (aye), Pelton R. (aye), Marshman (aye) and Chair Roberts (aye). The committee’s motion was entered by Senator Marshman and passed without recorded abstentions.

What happened next: The nominees will appear on the full Senate calendar for consideration. No additional committee-level actions were taken at the hearing.

Why it matters: The State Board of Land Commissioners manages trust lands and mineral estate whose income is dedicated to public schools; commissioners’ decisions affect grazing, renewable energy siting, recreation, housing opportunities and long-term stewardship of public trust lands.