CPW outlines citizen petition process, timelines; commissioners discuss backlog and handling of complex petitions

Colorado Parks and Wildlife presented its formal process for handling citizen petitions to change agency regulations at the commission’s July 17 meeting, and commissioners pressed staff for clearer timelines and public expectations.

Hillary Hernandez, CPW’s regulations manager, summarized the process: “Citizen petitions are written request to initiate rule making and are 1 of the many methods available to the public to actively engage in the rule making process with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.” Hernandez said a petition is considered complete only when the required fields on the petition form are filled out and that a complete petition triggers an internal review by CPW subject‑matter experts.

Why it matters: Commission members and petitioners have expressed concern that some petitions take far longer to process than others and that the public perceives favoritism or inconsistent scheduling. Hernandez told the commission that, historically, petitions that were not withdrawn averaged four months from receipt to initial commission hearing but…