From the Summit Daily News (Julie Sutor):
“I’m hearing many rumors coming from the Senate that they’re not going to get that bill out of committee,” said state Rep. Christine Scanlan, bill co-sponsor. “I know they have upwards of 19 lobbyists working against the bill, which is kind of unbelievable.”[…]
The bill’s author, Rep. Kathleen Curry of Gunnison, believes the controversy is unwarranted. She intends to simply clarify existing law, but the bill has sparked a debate over private property rights. She wants people — senators and anyone interested — to simply read the wording. The bill would explicitly allow commercial boats to make incidental contact on river banks and bottoms, even when a river is flanked by private property. Commercial boaters would also be allowed to conduct emergency portages when they encounter bridges, unnavigable rapids or other hazards…
Curry said she believes the bill’s foes are making a strategic mistake if they kill the bill. They know what they are getting with her bill, she said. Commercial outfitters will likely force a ballot initiative if the bill fails, and no one can be certain whether it would be as narrow as what Curry is seeking. Curry’s bill only applies to commercial outfitters, not to the average recreational boater with his or her own raft. And it only addresses stretches of rivers that have a history of commercial rafting — not to those that haven’t yet seen much commercial activity.
According to [Summit County resident Duke Bradford, owner of Arkansas Valley Adventures], river outfitters have already taken the steps necessary to go to the ballot, should the bill fail. “We’re going for the right to float on all rivers. If the legislators say they don’t believe the law gives us the right to do this, it’s time for us to change the law,” Bradford said.
More 2010 Colorado legislation coverage here.
From email from Shawn Martini with the Colorado Farm Bureau: