Bennet Introduces Amendment to Block Berlaimont Private Access Road

Jan 14, 2026| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet introduced an amendment to the Senate Interior Appropriations bill to prohibit the use of federal funds to open, improve, authorize, permit, or construct a year-round road on public land located north of Edwards, Colorado.

"With Forest Service staffing at a breaking point, this amendment ensures that limited resources are spent on Coloradans' top priorities - like critical wildfire mitigation, forest health, and recreation management projects, " said Bennet. "The Trump Administration has fired scores of experienced employees and let essential work to keep our communities safe and local economies running fall behind. With such limited capacity, the Forest Service should be laser-focused on the public good. Instead, this Administration is diverting scarce staff time to the pet projects of the very wealthy."

The developers of Berlaimont Estates have long sought to build a year-round paved road through winter wildlife habitat on Forest Service lands to facilitate the construction of 19 luxury estates. The project has faced strong community opposition because of the harmful consequences the road's construction, use, and maintenance could have on wildlife, recreation, wildfire risks, and water quality.

Senator Bennet has elevated the concerns of the local community since 2018. In 2021, Bennet and colleagues encouraged the U.S. Forest Service to ensure they addressed local concerns before moving forward with the project.

According to the Office of the Inspector General, the Forest Service lost nearly 6,000 employees in just the first half of last year. Colorado saw three of its long-tenured and well-respected Forest Supervisors leave the agency, and many field offices across the state experienced double-digit personnel decreases. These staffing losses were compounded during the shutdown, when Colorado nonprofits that had stepped up to fill the gaps were thrown into chaos by conflicting guidance from the Forest Service and agency-directed pauses to critical trail-repair and visitor-education projects. Even prior to the shutdown, an independent analysis of publicly available data showed that the Forest Service was nearly 40% behind on hazardous fuels mitigation nationwide compared to the previous four-year annual average. In December last year, an internal Forest Service analysis also found that the miles of trail the agency maintained nationwide were down 22% in 2025, the lowest level in the past 15 years.

Senator Bennet has led the fight to protect the Forest Service and other public lands management agencies from President Trump's draconian cuts. In February 2025, he led his colleagues in a letter and spoke on the Senate floor to demand that the U.S. Department of Agriculture immediately reinstate the 3,400 employees who had been fired in mass layoffs. In March 2025, he invited Jamie Werner, a terminated Forest Service employee, to be his guest at the State of the Union. In April 2025, he urged Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to reinstate wildfire-incident qualification-holding personnel (ie. "red-card" holders) in advance of peak wildfire season. In December 2025, Senator Bennet worked with his colleagues to push the Forest Service to immediately address understaffing and wildfire mitigation concerns and to report on and explain wildfire risk-reduction project delays.

Statements of Support:

"The Berlaimont Estates development has faced broad local opposition across Eagle County," said Congressman Joe Neguse. "I'm grateful to Senator Bennet for taking a stand against the development of a new access road and support his efforts, and I'll continue to partner with him and his team, and local stakeholders, to advocate community-based solutions that represent the interests of Western Slope residents."

"Over the years, CODNR has raised serious concerns about the proposed Berlaimont Estates including its impact on resident wildlife species and the possible increased risk of wildfire conditions. The area provides critical winter range for deer and elk and contains important habitat which should not be degraded by development. We appreciate Senator Bennet's proactive approach to put a stop to this harmful project." said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

"Communities across the Eagle Valley have been clear that this project is the wrong use of public land and public resources," said State Senator Dylan Roberts. "At a time when the Forest Service is understaffed and struggling to keep up with basic forest stewardship, it makes no sense to devote staff time and taxpayer dollars to a private access road for a luxury development. Senator Bennet's amendment is a common-sense step to ensure federal resources are focused on protecting public safety, wildlife habitat, and the outdoor economy that so many Colorado communities depend on."

"As a representative of mountain and rural communities, I hear every day how important our public lands are to local economies, wildlife, and quality of life," said State Representative Meghan Lukens. "The proposed Berlaimont road would cut through sensitive habitat and use resources the Forest Service simply does not have to spare right now. I support Senator Bennet's amendment to pause this project and refocus resources where they are most needed."

"The proposed realignment of the Berlaimont access road amplifies community concerns and presents significant risks related to increased wildfire exposure and impacts to sensitive wildlife habitat, including designated winter range and migration corridors. Given the limited capacity of public land management agencies, federal resources should be prioritized for protecting public safety, forest and watershed health, wildlife habitat, and recreational assets that serve the broader public interest, rather than infrastructure that primarily benefits private development," said Mike Trueblood, President of Edwards Metro District.

"Critics, not just environmental groups but Eagle County residents, overwhelmingly oppose the development due to significant impacts on wildlife habitat, wildfire risk, water quality, and ecosystem fragmentation," said Earle Bidez, Mayor of Minturn. "Wildlife in public lands in Eagle County including elk and mule deer have experienced distress and reductions in population for years. Why is this road being developed? A very wealthy individual bought a parcel of land to develop multi-million dollar homes. This road cuts through critical winter wildlife habitat. The damage that this will cause has no rational nexus to justify this construction."

"Our public lands should serve the entire community-not exclusive developments for the wealthy," said Bryan Woods, Mayor of Eagle. "With the Forest Service already stretched thin after losing a third of its local staff, we need to prioritize public land stewardship and recreation access for everyone. This amendment ensures that limited resources go toward projects that benefit the public, not luxury enclaves."

The text of the amendment is available HERE.

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