Hickenlooper, Bennet Introduce Bill for Mesa County Land Transfer to Boost Rural Economy

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet introduced the Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields (CONVEY) Act to greenlight the transfer of a federal land parcel to Mesa County to support local economic development. Specifically, the bill would accelerate the sale of 31.1 acres of land near Interstate 70 in Clifton, Colorado. The parcel was previously set aside for the Bureau of Reclamation's Grand Valley Reclamation Project, but Reclamation has indicated its intent to relinquish the 31 acres considered in the sale, and will retain the remaining 8 acres for project operations.

"Mesa County is bursting at the seams with economic development, it just needs the space to grow," said Hickenlooper. "Our CONVEY Act will cut the bureaucratic red tape needed to accelerate this land transfer and create jobs."

"Mesa County has made significant strides to secure a vibrant future for Clifton," said Bennet. "I'm glad to support this agreement between the County and Bureau of Land Management as one more step towards prosperity for the community."

"We are grateful to Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet for introducing the CONVEY Act. Economic development in the Clifton area is vital for our community to thrive, and the CONVEY Act will create opportunities to expand our local workforce and strengthen a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators in Mesa County. We are thankful for this partnership that will streamline this process to benefit all of Mesa County," said the Mesa County commissioners in a joint statement.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is responsible for federal land transfers, supports the Mesa County transfer and has begun the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process needed to finalize the process. The CONVEY Act would accelerate the sale and require Mesa County to pay fair market value for the land.

Map of the proposed lands to be transferred available HERE.

Companion legislation has already passed the House of Representatives.

###