Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse Urge Coordination Between NTIA and Local Partners To Protect 1,700 Acres of Public Land

About About Michael Legislation News Press Releases Social Media Newsletter Archive Services Priorities Top Issues Child Tax Credit Investing in Colorado Contact Map Español Acerca de Michael Escribe a Michael Prioridades Servicios Visitando D.C. Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse Urge Coordination Between NTIA and Local Partners To Protect 1,700 Acres of Public Land Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet led Senator John Hickenlooper and Congressman Joe Neguse in urging the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to work with state and local partners to protect wildlife, migration corridors, and irrigation infrastructure following the NTIA’s plan to fence off the 1,700-acre Table Mountain Field Site north of […] Jul 28, 2026 | Press Releases Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet led Senator John Hickenlooper and Congressman Joe Neguse in urging the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to work with state and local partners to protect wildlife, migration corridors, and irrigation infrastructure following the NTIA’s plan to fence off the 1,700-acre Table Mountain Field Site north of Boulder. Since 1954, the Table Mountain Field Site has been used to conduct radio frequency research and science. “The Department of Commerce recently published a contract opportunity to install the new fence, replacing the existing agricultural fencing. We have attached letters from local governments expressing concerns that the fence replacement project will cause undue harm to local wildlife populations, primarily deer and elk, given that Table Mountain is known as an important wildlife corridor for the region’s large ungulates,” wrote the lawmakers. This NTIA plan has received significant pushback from the local community due to potentially harmful effects on wildlife and irrigation infrastructure. The City of Boulder and Boulder County both recently sent letters to NTIA expressing their opposition and asking NTIA to work with the appropriate state and local agencies to mitigate potential harm. Additionally, a coalition of locals sent a letter to NTIA demanding that it halt the project and initiate a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. “Questions remain regarding the extent of NTIA’s consultation with state and local governments, neighboring property owners, or irrigation companies about your plans for the 1,700-acre site, and whether appropriate environmental reviews have been conducted for the project. Boulder County and the City of Boulder request that NTIA coordinate with the appropriate state and local agencies to mitigate potential harmful effects of the project. We support their request and ask that you assign dedicated staff to work directly with the local governments to address their concerns,” continued the lawmakers. The text of the letter is available HERE and below. Assistant Secretary Roth: We write to highlight concerns shared with us by Boulder County and the City of Boulder regarding the plan by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to construct an eight-foot chain-link and barbed-wire fence around the 1,700-acre Table Mountain Field Site and Radio Quiet Zone, and to request more information about the project. The Department of Commerce recently published a contract opportunity to install the new fence, replacing the existing agricultural fencing. We have attached letters from local governments expressing concerns that the fence replacement project will cause undue harm to local wildlife populations, primarily deer and elk, given that Table Mountain is known as an important wildlife corridor for the region’s large ungulates. Questions remain regarding the extent of NTIA’s consultation with state and local governments, neighboring property owners, or irrigation companies about your plans for the 1,700-acre site, and whether appropriate environmental reviews have been conducted for the project. Boulder County and the City of Boulder request that NTIA coordinate with the appropriate state and local agencies to mitigate potential harmful effects of the project. We support their request and ask that you assign dedicated staff to work directly with the local governments to address their concerns. While Boulder County and the City of Boulder did receive a response to the letters from the local NTIA office, the response does not sufficiently address their concerns. We request that NTIA provide responses to the following requests and questions within 14 days: Please provide further justification for the need to replace the existing fencing with considerably more disruptive fencing. Please detail any additional security concerns that may have arisen and led to this decision. Does the project adhere to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements? What steps have you taken to ensure that it does? To what extent has NTIA considered the potential effects on loca