Federal lands cover huge portions of SD4. Park County. Lake County. Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Teller — the federal footprint here is among the highest in Colorado. Those acres can't be taxed by counties. But the roads still need maintenance. The fire response still has to happen. The infrastructure still has to function. The bill still comes due.
Federal PILT payments — Payments In Lieu of Taxes — are supposed to compensate counties for that gap. They're written into law specifically because Congress recognized the unfairness of forcing counties to maintain federal land at local expense. But PILT is subject to Washington's annual budget battles.
Colorado should not be held hostage to Washington's dysfunction. SD4 has carried the federal load for too long. The state has the tools to backstop counties when Congress fumbles — and the obligation to use them when SD4 communities are paying the price.
Federal Mineral Lease Fairness
Federal Mineral Lease revenue distribution shouldn't reward only the counties where extraction happens — it should weight the counties absorbing infrastructure costs from federal land that generates no extraction revenue. SD4 maintains roads, fire response, and emergency services across federal acres other counties don't have. The formula should reflect that.
Defensible Space Where Federal Land Dominates
Wildfire is a year-round threat in SD4 — and homeowners are paying for it through rising insurance premiums whether they want to or not. Expanded state investment in defensible space programs, prioritized in WUI communities where federal land exceeds 40% of total acreage. Pocketbook pressure on homeowners is real. The state can take some of it off.
Protect Watersheds From Post-Fire Damage
When a watershed burns, the cost doesn't end with the fire. Post-fire sediment, debris, and ash flow downstream — into reservoirs, water treatment systems, and the communities that drink that water. State investment in upstream watershed protection and post-fire mitigation in SD4 saves real money for everyone downstream by stopping the damage before it reaches the tap.