U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday aimed at stopping the federal Bureau of Land Management from approving any expansion of the Mid-Continent Limestone Quarry in Glenwood Springs.

The Glenwood Hot Springs Protection Act, backed by Bennet, Hurd and U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, was announced during a virtual press call with local officials, tribal representatives and community leaders who said the quarry poses a threat to Glenwood Springs’ hot springs, tourism economy and quality of life.

The bill was introduced in the House as H.R. 9826, Hurd said Thursday. Bennet said a companion bill was being introduced in the Senate the same day.

“Together we’re introducing bipartisan legislation with Sen. Hickenlooper and Rep. Hurd to stop the BLM from approving any expansion of the Mid-Continent Quarry,” Bennet said. “The Glenwood Hot Springs are part of who we are as Coloradans, and I am glad to lead this fight to protect them.”

The announcement came after the BLM deemed Rocky Mountain Industrials’ latest plan for the quarry complete in June, moving the proposal into technical review before a future public review process.

The proposal would more than triple the federally approved acreage at the quarry, from about 16 acres to 56.1 acres. RMI is seeking approval to mine several hundred feet upslope from the existing quarry, including blasting out the unstable overhanging cliff that remains from a 2023 collapse of the quarry’s west headwall and mining more of the slope above.

Hurd, a Republican whose district includes Glenwood Springs, said he supports mining, energy production and responsible resource development, but he said the proposed quarry expansion is in the wrong location.

“Responsible resource development means recognizing that not every location is the right place for every project,” Hurd said. “Responsible resource development requires judgment, it requires balance, and it requires respecting the communities that live with the decisions that are made long after Washington has moved on.”

Glenwood Springs Mayor Pro Tem Erin Zalinski said the legislation offers the possibility of a permanent solution to an issue that has loomed over the community for more than eight years.

Marvin Pinnecoose, acting chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, said the hot springs hold cultural, ceremonial and spiritual significance for the Ute people, who have moved through the mountains of Colorado for centuries.

“The hot springs themselves — they hold medicine, they hold power — the power to heal, the power to soothe the soul, to relax, and to pray,” Pinnecoose said.

During Thursday’s press call, Hurd said the legislation is being introduced now because of concern that the BLM could be moving toward allowing the quarry expansion to proceed.

“Our understanding is that there’s a movement or potential movement within the BLM to change the status of this mine and allow it to move forward with this expansion,” Hurd said.

Bennet acknowledged the bill is unlikely to move before the November election, given the limited congressional calendar.

“I don’t think anything’s going to happen in the near term before the election,” Bennet said.

“But I do think that when you’ve got the kind of bipartisan bill, the bipartisan support that’s reflected here, we have an opportunity to be able to look for places when things are moving in Congress.”