Crystal River Wild and Scenic Feasibility Subcommittee

Sep 15, 2026

—

Communities along Colorado’s Crystal River have long been considering how best to protect the river’s long-term health, free-flowing character, and community values. From 2024 to 2026, a community subcommittee met to explore whether a Wild and Scenic River designation could be shaped to both achieve this protection and meet local needs.

In December 2025, Keystone Policy Center was brought on as an independent facilitator to help the group finalize its work and synthesize two years of their research and conversation. Keystone helped the group identify their shared values, assemble their collective knowledge, find ways that Crystal River legislation could meet community needs, and clarify remaining uncertainties. From these materials and conversations, Keystone drafted a report of findings. The report does not include a recommendation for or against designation but aims to serve as a clear and balanced decision-support tool.

For the Crystal River Wild and Scenic Feasibility Subcommittee, Keystone:

Facilitated subcommittee meetings from December 2025 through the completion of this report
Synthesized two years of prior meeting records, research, and expert presentations
Helped the group confirm their shared values, identify ways that legislation could meet community needs, and define the scope of their remaining uncertainties and disagreements
Ensured the report reflects the subcommittee’s collective learning, not any single participant’s or organization’s position
Guided successive drafts through subcommittee review to confirm the report matches participants’ shared memory of the process

The final report is a tool for informed decision-making, not an endorsement.

Key Findings in the Report

Designation is not one-size-fits-all: Congress can tailor Wild and Scenic legislation to address a specific river’s needs, from protections for existing uses to boundary adjustments to community advisory structures.
Strong protection against dams and diversions: This is the clearest area of community agreement as Section 7 of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA) offers robust protection against federally licensed dams and out-of-basin diversions.
Private property protections exist, with open questions: Though there is apparently no general federal zoning or condemnation risk, a Section 7 review of the WSRA could still apply to certain private-land projects using federal funding or requiring federal permits.
Agriculture and augmentation were priorities throughout: The group explored how a future designation could be structured to avoid conflict with the proposed Crystal River Augmentation Plan or the maintenance of existing irrigation infrastructure.

Next Steps

This report now moves to the Crystal River Wild and Scenic and Other Alternatives Feasibility Steering Committee, which will weigh it alongside two other protection strategies under parallel exploration: an intergovernmental agreement and a state-held instream flow right.

Click here to download and read the full report.

You can also learn more about the subcommittee as well as view subcommittee meeting records and materials by going here.

Congressman Suozzi served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017-2022 and was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, serving on both the Oversight and Tax Policy subcommittees. Congressman Suozzi was also the Vice-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus. Prior to his assignment on Ways and Means, the Congressman was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Armed Services Committee.

Representative Tom Suozzi, trained as an attorney and CPA, is the Congressman representing the Third Congressional District in New York. He is currently a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, as well as their Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Tax. He also serves as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

Congressman Suozzi previously served as mayor of his hometown, Glen Cove, NY from 1994-2001, and as Nassau County Executive from 2002-2009. As a reformer and a problem solver, in 2004 Suozzi created FixAlbany.com, exposing and rooting out corruption in New York state politics. In 2005, he was honored as Governing magazine’s “Public Official of the Year.” In 2007, he was appointed by the Governor to lead a state commission that proposed the first property tax cap, which has now become law. In 2008, the New York State League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) named him “Environmentalist of the Year.”

In 2010, Suozzi returned to the private sector as a senior advisor to investment banking firm Lazard and as of counsel at Harris Beach law firm. Prior to his time in elected office, Suozzi worked as a litigator for Shearman & Sterling, law clerk to the Chief Judge of the Eastern District, and an auditor for Arthur Andersen & Co.

Congressman Suozzi resides in Glen Cove with his wife Helene, and their three children Caroline, Joseph, and Michael.

From Bucks County, to the FBI, to the Halls of Congress, Brian Fitzpatrick has built his life and career around one principle: bringing people together to solve problems. Born and raised in the heart of Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District in Levittown, Brian serves the very community that shaped him—delivering results at home while building consensus in Washington.

Ranked the #1 most bipartisan Member of Congress for an unprecedented five consecutive years, and as the elected Chairman of the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, the only two-party caucus in Congress, Brian has become the national standard-bearer for unity, trusted on both sides of the aisle to tackle the toughest challenges facing our nation.

Before entering public office, Brian served for 15 years as an FBI Special Agent and Federal Prosecutor. Brian was embedded with U.S. Special Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he has led investigations into public corruption, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence threats. Brian graduated first in his class at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, went on to win the FBI Director’s Award, and was named Investigator of the Year for his role as the Lead Case Agent in Operation City Lights, the largest political corruption takedown in New York City history. Brian later served as the National Director for the FBI’s Campaign Finance and Election Crimes Enforcement Program, and as a National Supervisor for the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.. The FBI has deployed Brian on counterterrorism and counterintelligence missions across the globe, to include Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Brian holds both a JD and MBA from Penn State University, becoming the first student in Penn State history to complete this joint degree program.

In the 119th Congress, Brian sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, as well as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he serves as Chairman of the Central Intelligence Agency. In his role as CIA Chairman, Congressman Fitzpatrick oversees all CIA covert and clandestine sensitive operations across the globe. Brian has also been designated by House leadership as a Congressional Representative to NATO.

A licensed attorney, CPA, and EMT, Brian co-chairs nearly 20 caucuses and task forces—including the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, the House Cancer Caucus, the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and the Congressional Ukraine Caucus—leading bipartisan reforms to deliver for Pennsylvania’s First District, hold government accountable, strengthen America’s workforce, grow our local economy, expand access to care, drive critical research, safeguard our seniors and children, and reinforce America’s leadership on the world stage.

David A. Naylor is the President and CEO of Rayburn Electric Cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative serving four distribution cooperatives across sixteen counties in northeast Texas.

David has over 30 years of experience in the utility industry, beginning with C. H. Guernsey & Company where he served as a managing consultant for Rayburn. David’s leadership, expertise, and innovation resulted in him first joining Rayburn as the Executive Vice President and then becoming its current President and CEO.

He has led several major initiatives, including Rayburn’s 25% purchase of the Freestone Energy Center, leading Rayburn to become the first Texas utility to securitize debt relating to Winter Storm Uri, and overseeing the acquisition of the Rayburn Energy Station in Sherman, Texas. Under his leadership, Rayburn has experienced a transformative period of organizational growth and innovation.

He is a licensed Professional Engineer, with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. As a resident of Rockwall, David remains actively engaged as a community leader and stakeholder.

Lorenzo Simonelli is Chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR). Baker Hughes is an energy technology company that combines innovation, expertise and scale to provide solutions for energy and industrial customers worldwide.

Simonelli was named Chairman of the Board in October 2017 and has been President and CEO since the Company’s creation in 2017, where he oversaw the successful merger of GE Oil & Gas with Baker Hughes Inc. Since 2013, he served as President and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.

Previously, Simonelli served as President and CEO of GE Transportation, a global transportation leader in the rail, mining, marine and energy storage industries. During his five-year tenure, he expanded and diversified GE Transportation by focusing on advanced technology manufacturing, intelligent control systems, and a diverse approach to new propulsion solutions.

He has also served as CFO Americas for GE Consumer & Industrial, as well as General Manager, Product Management for GE Appliances, Lighting, Electrical Distribution and Motors.

Simonelli joined GE’s Financial Management Program in 1994, where he worked on assignments in GE International, GE Shared Services, GE Oil & Gas, and Consolidated Financial Insurance.

He currently serves on the Board of Iveco Group N.V. He served on the Board of C3.ai, Inc. from 2020-2021 and on the Board of CNH Industrial N.V. from 2019-2021.

Originally from Tuscany, Italy, Simonelli is a Business & Economics Graduate from Cardiff University in South Wales. He is married and resides in Houston.

Gil Quiniones leads ComEd, an Exelon company, which powers the lives of more than 4 million residential and business
customers in Chicago and across most of northern Illinois. He is responsible for the management of an electric grid that
delivers safe, reliable electricity to those customers and for empowering them to manage their energy use.
Under Quiniones’ leadership, ComEd was named the most reliable utility in America by PA Consulting, based on analysis
of system reliability statistics, including the frequency and duration of customer outages. With over 6,300 employees,
ComEd is one of the largest employers in the region, maintaining numerous workforce and education partnerships with the diverse communities it serves.

Professional History

Before joining ComEd, Quiniones served more than a decade as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority
(NYPA), the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility. Under his leadership, NYPA played a key role in New York State’s
Reforming the Energy Vision initiative to use market forces and new technology to empower customers and encourage
the growth of clean renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Before joining NYPA in 2007, Quiniones held several positions in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg, including more than four years as senior vice president of energy and telecommunications. He started his
career at Consolidated Edison (Con Edison), one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies and an electric
and gas utility serving parts of southeastern New York and northern New Jersey, including New York City. He worked for
16 years at Con Edison, where he cofounded Con Edison Solutions, the utility’s unregulated energy services company.

Civic and Board Involvement

In June 2024, Quiniones was named to the Board of Directors for Intersect Illinois, a leading economic development
organization, promoting the state as a location for investment by businesses. In July 2024 he was named to the board of
the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which is working to address food insecurity in the metropolitan region. He is the
Co-Chair of the Corporate Coalition of Chicago, dedicated to addressing racial and economic inequities in the city.
Quiniones also serves on Civic Federation Board of Trustees, the board of World Business Chicago and the board of the
Illinois Utilities Business Diversity Council (IUBDC). He is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago.

In August 2022, President Joseph Biden named Quiniones to the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Board,
which advises the White House on how to reduce physical and cyber risks and improve the security and resilience of the
nation’s critical infrastructure sectors.

In past years, Quiniones has served as a board member for a number of leading energy industry organizations including
the Alliance to Save Energy, GridWise Alliance and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

Education

Quiniones attended De La Salle University in the Philippines, where he received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical
engineering. He has performed graduate coursework in engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He has
completed the Executive Education Program at Columbia Business School and the CEO Academy at The Wharton
School. Quiniones earned the Corporate Director Certificate at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program.

Ani Dasgupta is President and CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI), where he spearheads global efforts to drive systemic change across climate, nature, and human development. Dasgupta is the author of The New Global Possible: Rebuilding Optimism in the Age of Climate Crisis. Ani’s visionary leadership is defined by action to transform economies, cities, and communities for a prosperous and inclusive future.

A widely recognized leader in climate policy and finance, sustainable cities, and poverty alleviation, Dasgupta has built transformative cross-sector, multinational partnerships with governments, corporations, and civil society. He brings a global perspective to ensure that environmental solutions are both scalable and equitable, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, TIME Magazine, Financial Times and many more global media outlets. He took the helm at WRI after seven years as global director of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. Under his leadership, the WRI Ross Center grew to become one of the largest programs of its kind with teams working in 150 cities, with a reach of more than four hundred cities across the globe.

Prior to joining WRI in 2014, Dasgupta worked at the World Bank for nearly two decades. His work spanned urban development, poverty, and infrastructure in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He served as director of knowledge and learning at the World Bank, where he developed the bank’s first knowledge strategy. He also worked extensively in the World Bank’s Jakarta office as head of infrastructure, where he was deeply engaged in post-2004 tsunami reconstruction in Aceh. His technical work at the Bank centered on community-based development, urban environment, disaster management, solid waste management, water supply, and sanitation.

Originally from Delhi, India, Dasgupta developed an early interest in buildings and design. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture, with an emphasis on low-income housing, at the School of Planning and Architecture in India. He attended a special program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on affordable housing and later joined the Department for Urban Planning at MIT. Dasgupta holds master’s degrees from MIT in city planning and architecture.

He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and has two children.

Rudy D. Garza is the President & CEO of CPS Energy, the nation’s largest electric and natural gas public utility, overseeing an energy portfolio of over 10,000 megawatts, over $15 billion in assets, close to $4 billion in annual revenue, and a workforce of over 3,600 employees. CPS Energy is the fourth-largest energy provider in Texas and the fifth-largest in the nation for solar capacity.

Rudy is responsible for CPS Energy’s diverse energy portfolio, which includes nuclear, solar, wind, battery storage, natural gas, and coal, powering over 1.4 million homes and businesses in South Texas. Rudy’s leadership team has led innovative initiatives, including grid modernization, customer experience enhancements, and community resiliency.

Rudy has 30 years of experience in the utility industry, serving in both the public and private sectors. He previously served as Chief Customer & Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Senior Vice President of Distribution Service & Operations, and Vice President of External Relations. Prior to joining CPS Energy, Rudy served as Assistant City Manager of Business Support Services and Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Corpus Christi, driving advocacy efforts before the Texas legislature and U.S. Congress.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Texas.

Rudy currently serves on the national board of directors for the Keystone Policy Center, the American Gas Association, and the Large Public Power Council, and regionally on the boards of the Brooks Development Authority, the Texas Public Power Association, and the University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering. He recently served as the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County Campaign Co-Chair, where he exceeded a fundraising goal of $46 million.