The movement to transform Colorado National Monument into a national park hit a setback Monday.
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colo) said they will not put forward legislation to make the Colorado National Monument into a national park this year.
In April, Udall and Tipton released a community-driven proposal to redesignate the monument. The comment period on the proposal ended June 30th.
In a release issued Monday, Tipton citied a lack of “community consensus and support” as his reason for not drafting legislation to changes the monument’s status.
"Although the results of the comment period show more consensus is needed before we can move forward with legislation, this is a discussion community leaders, business owners and residents should continue to have," Udall said in areleased statement.
Terri Chappell, the founder of Grand Valley Citizens for a National Park, a group lobbying for the change, said her organization will continue to push for the Colorado National Monument to be made into a national park.
"If it’s a timeout then we’re willing to wait until after the election has passed," Chappell said. "At the same time, Udall has also said he will keep the discussions going for national parks status...[but] we were deeply, deeply disappointed that Congressman Tipon felt like he needed to step back at this point."
