H.R. 1729 (119th)Bill Overview

Bolts Ditch Act

Public Lands and Natural Resources|ColoradoLakes and rivers
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Feb 27, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

This bill amends the John D. Dingell, Jr.

Why people may split

Progressives emphasize environmental safeguards and review

Watch point

Very narrow, noncontroversial change; House has already passed the measure.

This bill amends the John D.

Dingell, Jr.

Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to expand which entities may perform maintenance on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate in the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado.

Passage70/100

Very targeted, administrative fix with minimal fiscal effect; primary barrier is Senate scheduling and any narrow wilderness objections.

CredibilityPartial

How solid the drafting looks.

Contention32/100

Progressives emphasize environmental safeguards and review

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
Local governmentsFederal agencies

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • Local governmentsMay improve local water-supply reliability by allowing authorized entities to perform timely maintenance.
  • Local governmentsCould reduce delays from federal administrative processes when local entities conduct routine repairs.
  • Potential benefitLikely clarifies legal authority, lowering litigation risk over who may maintain the ditch and headgate.
Likely burdened
  • Potential burdenCould increase risk of adverse effects to wilderness character from maintenance activities.
  • Federal agenciesMay set a precedent for broader non-federal access or work within designated wilderness areas.
  • Potential burdenMight raise concerns that environmental review or protective restrictions could be relaxed in practice.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Progressives emphasize environmental safeguards and review
Progressive60%

Likely cautious support if environmental protections are preserved.

Views the change as a narrow, local fix to ensure water infrastructure upkeep, but will watch for wilderness protection and public-interest safeguards.

Split reaction
Centrist75%

Generally favorable as a practical, narrowly targeted fix to allow local entities to maintain infrastructure.

Sees the bill as low-cost and pragmatic but wants clear procedural and environmental safeguards.

Leans supportive
Conservative90%

Likely strongly supportive because it empowers local water authorities and reduces federal bottlenecks.

Views the bill as limited, commonsense delegation enabling efficient maintenance of local infrastructure.

Leans supportive
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood70/100

Very targeted, administrative fix with minimal fiscal effect; primary barrier is Senate scheduling and any narrow wilderness objections.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • No cost estimate or implementation details in text
  • Potential wilderness-preservation objections to maintenance methods
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Progressives emphasize environmental safeguards and review

Very targeted, administrative fix with minimal fiscal effect; primary barrier is Senate scheduling and any narrow wilderness objections.

Unlocked analysis

Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for Bolts Ditch Act.

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
Open full analysis