Federal lands

A candidate questionnaire from The Denver Post offers a window into the competitive race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District. One contender, a retired Navy rear admiral and former Special Assistant to the President for South Asia, outlined priorities centered on lowering costs, balancing the federal budget, and curbing congressional corruption through term limits, age limits, and a ban on lawmakers trading stocks.

On policy specifics, the candidate called for ending tariffs, passing a comprehensive farm bill, and requiring insurers to reimburse rural hospitals more fairly. They said federal land in the district should not be a default target for new oil and gas leasing, favoring local input over blanket Washington mandates. On immigration, they backed stronger border security paired with legal pathways addressing labor shortages in agriculture and rural health care. They also urged more congressional oversight of executive actions, including unauthorized military engagements and federal spending. Incumbent Lauren Boebert and candidate Douglas Mangeris did not respond to the questionnaire.

Candidates running for Colorado's 1st Congressional District responded to a Denver Post questionnaire covering cost of living, energy policy, congressional oversight of the Trump administration, and immigration. Responses revealed sharp divides: some candidates called for Medicare for All, a moratorium on new fossil fuel leasing on federal lands, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and stronger congressional oversight of executive power, spending, and military actions. Others backed the Trump administration's agenda, supporting expanded oil and gas extraction on public lands, cooperation between local jurisdictions and federal immigration enforcement, and opposition to "sanctuary" policies.

A libertarian-leaning candidate called for auditing the Federal Reserve, ending corporate bailouts, returning land-use decisions to state control, and reclaiming congressional war powers, while criticizing both major parties for enabling executive overreach. A physician-candidate emphasized healthcare affordability, housing supply increases, protection of public lands for recreation and conservation, and a secure border paired with fast-tracked legal status for long-term residents. One candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.

Candidates for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District seat responded to a Denver Post questionnaire covering affordability, public lands, oversight of the Trump administration, energy leasing, and immigration. Democratic challenger (Romero Group CEO and Army veteran) emphasized repealing tariffs, expanding tax credits, protecting water and public lands, and banning congressional stock trading. Incumbent Rep. Jeff Hurd pointed to his record on extending health insurance premium tax credits, opposing broad tariffs, pushing for stock divestment rules, and securing release of Shoshone Water Rights funding, while backing expanded energy development on federal lands with environmental safeguards. Third-party candidate Cory Robertson called for ending federal money printing, releasing federal land to states, and dissolving ICE, among other libertarian-leaning positions. A fourth candidate, Clifton Brown, did not respond to the questionnaire.

The race highlights contrasts on tariffs, immigration enforcement, and energy leasing on public lands ahead of the midterms, with affordability and trust in Congress emerging as shared themes across candidates.

California has conserved 27.1% of its land, keeping it on pace to hit Gov. Gavin Newsom's "30x30" target of protecting 30% of land and coastal waters by 2030, state officials announced. Progress on coastal waters lags further behind at 21.9%, with nearly all of the increase since 2020 coming from a single federal marine sanctuary. About 78% of conserved land is federal, including national parks and forests, making California's goal heavily dependent on Washington's cooperation.

Much of the past year's land gains came from two national monuments created by President Biden in his final days in office. The Trump administration briefly signaled those designations had been rescinded before backing off, though the Justice Department has affirmed presidents can abolish predecessors' monuments, and the Interior Department is weighing expanded mining and drilling on protected lands. Trump has also rolled back OHV trail protections and pushed to expand logging in national forests. California officials say they will keep tracking federal actions that could undercut the state's conservation counts, while pursuing new marine protected areas and tribal-led coastal conservation efforts to close the gap.

Six landowners and the nonprofit Conserve Big Bend, representing roughly 230 additional landowners across five counties, have sued the Department of Homeland Security, CBP, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott in Washington, D.C. federal court to block border wall construction in the Big Bend region of Texas. The suit is part of a broader $46 billion effort to build 30-foot steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers and surveillance infrastructure along the southern border, and seeks an injunction covering the entire region, including barriers inside Big Bend National Park.

Plaintiffs argue DHS unlawfully issued waivers designating Big Bend an area of "high illegal entry," despite the sector accounting for under 1.5% of southwest border apprehensions over five years, and claim landowners' Fifth Amendment due process rights are being violated. Opposition has grown since February, when eminent domain letters went out, drawing bipartisan pushback from sheriffs, officials, tour operators and ranchers who warn the wall would cut off Rio Grande water access, harm tourism, wildlife and sacred sites. Over $7 billion has already been awarded for Big Bend Sector wall contracts.