Montezuma County commissioners press congressman on PILT, SRS and Upper Dolores NCA

Congressman Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) met with the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners in Cortez to hear local concerns about federal land management, Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, and to discuss a possible Upper Dolores National Conservation Area (NCA).

Hurd said he sits on the House Natural Resources Committee and the Energy and Minerals Subcommittee and that he is working with colleagues on legislation that would move BLM headquarters functions back to western Colorado and would reverse nine resource-management plans issued during the prior administration. "We should have the people who make the decisions about our public lands here in the West where the public lands are located," Hurd said.

The county commissioners emphasized the local budget impact of uncertain PILT and SRS funding. Commissioners described a multidecade formula that, they say, yields unpredictable payments and reduces PILT when counties receive mineral lease revenues. "If you just knew you were going to get 100% of what it's supposed to be every year, so you could actually budget for that, that would help tremendously," one commissioner told Hurd. The county asked Hurd to press for both reauthorization and predictability in those programs.

Why it matters: Montezuma County estimates more than 70% of its land base is federal. County leaders said variability in federal payments complicates budgeting for road, bridge and school needs tied to federal lands.

Key details and local asks - SRS and PILT status: Hurd said reauthorization and full funding remain under congressional consideration but that SRS priorities may wait until the broader federal budget and reconciliation process moves forward. He said he would press leadership and officials on the county's behalf and check committee jurisdiction for PILT questions. Hurd said some of these items flow through appropriations, natural resources or Ways and Means, and he would follow up with staff. - PILT math and mineral lease interaction: Commissioners stated the current formula reduces PILT where mineral lease receipts exist even though lease-driven activity creates local impacts. They asked Hurd to explore revising the formula or pursuing alternatives used by other counties (commissioners referenced local options used elsewhere but did not provide the statutory name for such arrangements). - Upper Dolores NCA: Hurd said he expects a Senate companion measure to be introduced and that he would be the House counterpart. He said staff are checking for "unintended consequences" tied to potential mining claims and that he will coordinate with senators already engaged on the NCA. Commissioners said the proposed NCA covers roughly 14% of county acreage and emphasized the stakeholder-driven process the county used to negotiate terms. - Wilderness Study Area (Menifee Mountain WSA): Commissioners asked why a WSA that the Bureau of Land Management has found "not suitable" for wilderness remains listed. Hurd asked the county to forward the BLM decision documents so his office can follow up with Interior and the BLM.

Federal policy referenced in the meeting included the Antiquities Act (discussion of presidential monument authority), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (multiple-use mandate), the Wild and Scenic Rivers considerations, and the Fix Our Forests Act (legislative proposal Hurd supports for permitting and forest-management reforms). Hurd said he is cosponsoring legislation to limit unilateral monument designations under the Antiquities Act and supports faster permitting and management changes intended to improve forest health.

What commissioners asked for next: concrete estimates of county fiscal impacts and a prioritized list of statutory changes or program revisions the county wants Hurd to press on behalf of Montezuma County. Hurd requested documentation of PILT/SRS shortfalls and the Menifee Mountain WSA BLM findings.

Ending: Hurd said he would take the county's materials back to his staff and asked that commissioners act as local "eyes and ears" for issues that require federal follow-up. He offered the county direct lines to his district office staff to speed coordination.