WASHINGTON – At a hearing for the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Rep. Scott Tipton questioned witnesses from the U.S. Forest Service and other organizations regarding new regulations involving land use.

The three-hour hearing was dedicated solely to discussing three regulatory actions currently being undertaken by the Forest Service, which could affect management, use and access across the 193 million acres of federal land the agency manages.

Last month, Tipton, R-Cortez, expressed his concern about a requirement that would make private water holders sign their water rights over to the U.S. government as a condition for permits for uses such as ski areas or grazing. The congressman wrote Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting that the agency stop interfering in such matters.

While questioning Glenn Porzak, a representative for the National Ski Areas Association, Tipton inquired about compensation for those who would have to sign their water rights away. According to Porzak, it would be “zero.”

This new requirement would be tied to a series of changes including special-use permits and a proposed planning rule that the Department of Agriculture – namely, the Forest Service – has been working on for years. However, the USDA already is enforcing the permit requirement despite the fact that it has yet to be officially implemented.

“I think you underscored a very important point during your comments, saying that all water owners should be concerned,” Tipton told Porzak. “In the 3rd Congressional District, throughout the state of Colorado, water is what we absolutely need, particularly for the grazing.”

Tipton also mentioned the need for water in the ski industry.

Porzak said it would impact financing for ski businesses because “no lender is going to loan any money unless you can prove you have adequate water rights.”

When witnesses for the federal agency were asked why it needed the water rights, they answered it is a matter of “control.”

Tipton said he finds the situation “very disturbing.”

“This permit requirement is wrong and has no legal legs to stand on,” he said in a statement released after the hearing.

Rocío González is an intern for The Durango Herald and a graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C.