Rep. Neguse, Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper Advocate for Forest and Watershed Health on Colorado’s Western Slope

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joe Neguse, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper in writing to the United States Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). In the letter, the lawmakers urged the prioritization of funds to be allocated to address forest and watershed health in national forests on Colorado’s Western Slope, which serve as headwaters for rivers and streams extending beyond state boundaries. 

Historic investments made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will provide states, tribal communities, and partners across the West with $10 billion in federal funding to address wildland fire and forest health. After an uptick in wildfires across the state of Colorado, including the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires in 2020, Rep. Neguse and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper are calling for frequent updates on the status of the implementation of these funds, in particular noting their impact on forest health and watershed management.

In March of this year, Rep. Neguse announced the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests will receive $39 million in funding from the IIJA to support fire rehabilitation efforts in the areas impacted by the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires.

“Colorado has experienced numerous devastating wildfires over the past several years, including the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires. Many recovering communities are still working to address the lingering watershed devastation. We are grateful for your continued partnership with our offices, the State of Colorado, and affected communities on these recovery efforts, and encourage you to continue to help us secure resources for post-fire recovery and long-term rehabilitation to stabilize watersheds following these devastating megafires,” the lawmakers wrote. 

The letter continued: “We encourage you to consider the importance of Colorado’s forests as headwaters not just for our communities, but for cities and towns in the 18 other states that rely on the rivers that originate in Colorado. We implore you to prioritize projects that protect the Upper Colorado River Basin headwaters, much of which falls within Colorado’s national forests. Forty million people, 30 Tribal nations, and 5.5 million agricultural acres rely on the Colorado River. Watershed protection for the Colorado River and its tributaries is essential for the West’s communities, ecosystems, and economies, particularly as we face climate change-driven aridification and heightened wildfire risk. When we invest in forest health, we invest in the health of watersheds—which are critically important to communities across Colorado and the West.” 

Read the full letter HERE. 

Over the past year, Congressman Neguse and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper have announced nearly $750 million in federal funding to support the state of Colorado in bolstering forest and watershed health and preventing wildfires. These investments include: 

• $720 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program, including for the Southern Front Range Watershed Project;
• $5.1 million for fuels management wildfire resiliency projects;
• $20 million for the Colorado State University Forest Restoration Research; 
• And, as mentioned, $39 million to support fire rehabilitation efforts in the areas impacted by the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires.

Congressman Neguse, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, has emerged as a leader among his colleagues in the fight for increased federal support for wildfire mitigation and resilience. In July of last year, he was able to secure passage of his monumental legislative package, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, through the House of Representatives.   

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