Water

When people ask what my top three issues are, I say water, water, water.

For years, Colorado and the West have suffered from drought. I support increased water storage like the Wolf Creek Reservoir expansion and worthwhile delivery projects that will supply clean water in dry times.

I am a strong advocate for protecting local communities’ water rights and keeping our water in the Third District. I strongly oppose RWR’s proposal to steal seven billion gallons of water per year, and dry up 22,667 irrigated acres in perpetuity, in the San Luis Valley in order to benefit the Denver suburbs.

I am aggressively working to remove invasive salt cedar and Russian olive trees that are guzzling water. Salt cedars consume about 200 gallons of water per day per plant.

In a legislative provision signed into law, I secured $10 million for the Indian Irrigation Fund to address the deferred maintenance backlog and increase water storage projects like the Southern Utes’ Pine River Indian Irrigation Project.

I introduced the Western Water Security Act to protect private property rights, prevent federal water grabs, and help ensure an abundant supply of clean water for future generations.

I cosponsored the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act, bipartisan legislation passed the House and provides Endangered Species Act compliance for approximately 2,200 water projects while helping recover endangered fish. The bill is supported by the Colorado Water Congress, Colorado Springs Utilities, Dolores Water Conservancy District, San Juan Water Commission, Southwestern Water Conservation District,  Grand Valley Water Users Association, Tri-County Water Conservancy District, Denver Water, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe,  the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District, and others.

I cosponsored legislation and led an effort to prevent the return of Obama’s 2015 WOTUS rule, a land and water grab that sought to assert Clean Water Act and federal jurisdiction over areas with the slightest connection to water.  

I filed several appropriations amendments that redirected millions from wasteful spending in the bill to combat drought in the West.

Our property and water rights are also under attack by the Biden administration’s 30 x 30 program, which aims to lock up hundreds of millions of acres and 30% of lands and waters in the U.S., including private lands, over the next eight years through a massive federal land and water grab. I introduced the 30 x 30 Termination Act to protect water rights, ranching, grazing, and multiple-use and block this radical initiative.

I will always fight to protect our water.