Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO) sponsored an amendment to H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, to attach the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act and the Grand Canyon Protection Act to the defense reauthorization legislation. The CORE Act would protect 400,000 acres of public lands in Colorado, including 73,000 acres of new wilderness and roughly 80,000 acres of recreation and conservation management areas. The Grand Canyon Protection Act would protect almost one million acres of federal lands around Grand Canyon National Park from dangerous uranium mining that threatens this iconic landscape as well as the health and welfare of Indigenous communities in the region. On July 14, the House approved the Neguse amendment by a vote of 214-201 (House roll call vote 345). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The Neguse amendment was not included in the final NDAA, which the president signed into law on December 23.