Rep. Neguse, Sens. Bennet & Hickenlooper Secure Over $35 Million to Confront the Wildfire Crisis in Colorado
Made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funding will be allocated to risk reduction programs in the Front Range.
Lafayette, CO — Today, Congressman Joe Neguse, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, and Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper announced $35,442,127 to support wildfire mitigation and preparedness efforts across Colorado’s Front Range. The funding, which was announced as part of a monumental $500 million nationwide investment, was made possible through the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funds will help expand work on the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy to reduce risk to communities, critical infrastructure and natural resources from the nation’s ongoing wildfire crisis, which is exacerbated by climate change.
As part of their strategy, the USDA designated 21 priority landscapes across the West, including Colorado’s Front Range which is home to some of the state’s largest cities like Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Boulder. In recent years, three of Colorado’s largest and most destructive wildfires—the Marshall, Cameron Peak, and East Troublesome fires—impacted communities along the Front Range.
“Colorado has experienced numerous devastating wildfires over the past several years, including the East Troublesome, Cameron Peak, and Marshall Fires, which impacted communities in my district and along Colorado’s Front Range. As the Representative for much of the region, I am excited to see investments making their way to our state to reduce the risk of wildfires to our families, our towns, and our lands. I am committed to continuing to advocate for all of our Colorado communities, including those on the Western Slope, ensuring they receive the resources they need to prepare for this crisis,” said Congressman Neguse.
“I am pleased to see historic funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to invest in the health of our forests. This investment in Colorado’s Front Range will help safeguard our communities and reduce risk to our natural resources from increasingly severe wildfire seasons,” said Senator Bennet. “As the West faces a hotter and drier future, I’ll keep working to ensure that forests across the state have the resources they need.”
“Wildfire season has become a year-round threat, and we have to be ready,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “This funding from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act will invest in making our forests and communities more resilient.”
Approximately $400 million of the nationwide investment will be allocated to ongoing efforts on the 21 designated priority landscapes. An additional $100 million will be allocated under a new program established by the Forest Service – the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program – to expand work outside these landscapes. Inspired by past examples and success of programs such as the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), which helps fund collaborative and community-based forest management, the new program expands work in high-risk wildfire areas outside the 21 priority landscapes. Congressman Neguse, a longtime advocate of the CFLRP, introduced a bill last year to reauthorize and expand the program for an additional 10 years. He also helped secure an additional $5 million for the program back in 2020.
“This important work is already in motion – we’ve seen the impact on reducing wildfire exposure to communities, as well as critical infrastructure, critical watersheds, socially vulnerable communities, and carbon stocks,” said USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes.
“We are pleased with the record-setting pace and scale accomplished by Forest Service employees, partners, Tribes and communities,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “These investments will allow critical work to continue in the 21 priority landscape areas and begin intensively in other high-risk areas across the country that will be determined through new program.”
In addition to advocating for increased support for the Front Range, Rep. Neguse and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper are leading an ongoing effort to urge the USDA and the Forest Service to prioritize 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.
Learn more about the announcement HERE.
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