Infrastructure and Transportation

Colorado is the nation’s 8th largest state, extending nearly 300 miles from north to south and nearly 400 miles from east to west. $323 billion in goods are shipped to and from Colorado annually. 75% of these goods are carried by trucks on Colorado roads. Colorado’s transportation infrastructure supports 77,308 full-time jobs and $3.4 billion annually. With nearly 70,000 new residents last year, Colorado is the 7th fastest-growing state in the U.S., and Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District comprises 47+% of the entire state of Colorado. To support our booming state, we need infrastructure and sound economic policies.

While Democrats’ multi-trillion-dollar spending package falsely labeled “infrastructure” helped increase inflation, I introduced a responsible and effective infrastructure solution. Less than 10% of  $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill went to roads and bridges. The bill provides tens of billions of dollars for Solyndra style slush funds, Green New Deal policies, electric busses, and government welfare. In contrast, 100% of my America’s Infrastructure Modernization (AIM) Act goes to actual infrastructure projects. My bill is a targeted, efficient infrastructure plan that works for America. The AIM Act would reallocate $650 billion of the remaining $2.2 trillion of unspent COVID funds to build roads, bridges, airports, ports, and other real infrastructure projects. There is no reason to increase taxes and waste trillions of dollars on a leftist wish list when we have the ability to deliver real infrastructure results for the American people without raising their taxes or increasing federal spending.

I am always actively searching for local infrastructure projects to support. I wrote a letter of support for the San Luis Central Railroad Company’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) competitive grant application to support farmers and ranchers in the Valley. Additionally, my amendment to protect critical energy and utility infrastructure from wildfire risks passed the House Committee on Natural Resources unanimously with bipartisan support. I also worked with water district managers and other state and local officials to get the San Luis Valley radar system incorporated into the National Weather Service’s system to improve forecasting for the region.

I supported Glenwood Springs in their grant application for South Bridge. This project would establish a new bridge connection that will provide a critical second access between State Highway 82 and the western side of the Roaring Fork River in the south corridor of Glenwood Springs. It would create much needed redundancy in transit infrastructure in the region, and would significantly improve emergency evacuation capacity, emergency service access, and local land use access.  

I also supported the San Luis Valley Regional Airport’s selection of Denver Air Connection to provide air service to Alamosa. Access to adequate, timely, and reliable air service in and out of the 6-county region is crucial. If successful, this effort will provide an economic boom for business and tourism. 

When I-70 was shut down for 16.5 days following a catastrophic mudslide, I was one of the first elected officials to visit the scene and led Colorado’s bipartisan congressional delegation in securing millions of dollars in emergency support. I-70 closes far too frequently, and Colorado needs a backup plan. I introduced the I-70 Detour Act to alleviate the burden of I-70 shutdowns on communities surrounding the I-70 corridor and to ensure commerce for the West slope doesn't come to a screeching halt every time I-70 shuts down. Specifically, my bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to identify and prioritize funding for identifying repairs and alternative routes to I-70 in order to reduce traffic, increase safety, and improve rural Colorado’s resilience.

I am also focusing on providing local communities with the resources they need to fund local infrastructure projects. My appropriations request that the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program be fully-funded was signed into law, giving extra resources to local communities that are unable to collect property taxes due to extensive federal lands in their jurisdictions. These additional funds can be used for local infrastructure projects that meet the needs of rural communities. Additionally, I introduced the MORE PILT Act to lay the groundwork for increasing PILT payments and invest more resources into rural communities.

Finally, my Active Forest Management, Wildfire Prevention, and Community Protection Act reinvests 25% of all forestry revenue from national forests into the local communities they surround. These extra resources can go to improve roads, bridges, emergency equipment, law enforcement, search and rescue, education, or any other important local priorities.

Living in rural Colorado, I know the unique infrastructure challenges our communities face. I have your back in Congress, and I am working hard to deliver tangible victories for the District.

For my work on infrastructure issues, I received a 100% score from the Associated Builders and Contractors.