Colorado’s bipartisan delegation is pressing the Trump administration to release $140 million in federal funds promised to water projects in the state to shore up the drought-stricken Colorado River.
In a Monday letter to Scott Cameron, acting Interior assistant secretary for water and science, and David Palumbo, acting Bureau of Reclamation commissioner, the lawmakers pointed to previously approved funds for 15 projects largely focused on ecosystem and habitat restoration, as well as drought resilience.
“Our water infrastructure in Colorado is not just a network of manmade dams, canals, and pipelines — crucially, it is also the streams and rivers that convey water, the headwater meadows and wetlands that regulate water timing, the healthy forests that store snowpack, the riparian areas that prevent erosion, and the reliable flows that we all count on,” said the letter, led by Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper and Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd.
It was also signed by Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet; Democratic Reps. Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen; and GOP Reps. Jeff Crank, Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans.
