{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://pettersen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=495", "Reps. Pettersen, Caraveo, Neguse Push to Improve Drought and Flood Resiliency Efforts", "2023-11-30", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Brittany Pettersen", "P000620", "pettersen.house.gov", "pettersen", "https://pettersen.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) this week introduced the bipartisan Healthy Watershed, Healthy Communities Act alongside Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Mike Flood (R-NE), and Joe Neguse (D-CO). This legislation would support drought and flood resiliency across the country by improving a watershed program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).\n\nThe Healthy Watershed, Healthy Communities Act focuses on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service\u2019s (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program, known as \u201cPL-566\u201d. The legislation aims to improve the PL-566 program by streamlining the program\u2019s planning and administrative processes and creating parity in funding allocations between southwest states and other areas of the country. In August, U.S. Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO) introduced companion legislation in the Senate alongside Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).\n\n\u201cAs climate change continues to affect our water resources\u2014especially in Colorado\u2014we must ensure we have a resilient watershed management system in place,\u201d said Pettersen. \u201cThis bill will streamline planning and help us conserve water more efficiently, so our communities and farmers are better equipped for the next drought or flood.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn areas across my district, programs like the PL-566 program are essential to mitigate flood or drought damage, ultimately ensuring better water security, a lifeline for Arizona\u2019s desert communities,\u201d said Ciscomani. \u201cBy cutting red tape and implementing commonsense fixes, we build on previous successes of the program and allow our communities to tap into the full potential of the resources available to them.\u201d\n\n\u201cWater is the most valuable commodity in the West, essential for sustaining people, farms, and wildlife. But two decades of climate change-fueled drought has devastated watersheds in Colorado and the region, posing an existential threat to Colorado\u2019s farmers and ranchers, and everyone who relies on them,\u201d said Caraveo. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act \u2013 a bill that will make the PL-566 program work better for the American West and support drought resilience in Colorado.\u201d\n\n\u201cWater is one of humanity\u2019s most important resources,\u201d said Hageman. \u201cProtecting and managing our water resources is critically important, having immense consequences for local communities and our nation\u2019s food supply and energy production. Yet confusing, contradictory, and unnecessary regulatory processes and bureaucratic delays prevent needed investments in building and managing our water storage infrastructure. The Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act addresses some of these concerns by providing greater control of watersheds to our irrigation districts and local irrigators who better understand local hydrology, systems, and needs. As a strong proponent of decentralized control and greater investment in local organizations, I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues, as well as the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, in support of this bill.\u201d\n\n\u201cAllowing for more local control and flexibility in managing projects funded by the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program will help stakeholders tailor solutions to steward our resources and meet the needs of local communities,\u201d said Flood. \u201cThank you to Representatives Ciscomani, Hageman, Neguse, Caraveo, and Pettersen for your leadership on this issue in the House as well as our colleagues in the Senate.\u201d\n\nClick here to access the full text of the bill.\n\n\u201cThe Healthy Watershed Healthy Communities Act would be a vital tool for safeguarding the future of western water resources and addressing the unique challenges faced by the region,\u201d said Kevin Moran, Associate Vice President at Environmental Defense Fund. \u201cIn the West, where water scarcity is a persistent concern, the PL-566 program provides a lifeline for communities grappling with extreme droughts and flooding. It also supports the resilience and sustainability of American agriculture in the face of an evolving climate.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program has proven to be an invaluable tool for Irrigation communities to make vital infrastructure upgrades, enhancing resilience against drought impacts for both themselves and their patrons. I appreciate Representative Ciscomani for spearheading the introduction of the Healthy Watersheds Healthy Communities Act in the House of Representatives,\" stated Julie O\u2019Shea, Executive Director at Farmers Conservation Alliance. \"This legislation will play a pivotal role in improving the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program to undertake and execute modernization initiatives that yield multiple benefits for agriculture, the environment, and local communities. Special thanks to Representatives Hageman, Flood, Neguse, Pettersen, and Caraveo for their support of this significant legislation\"\n\n\u201cThe health of rural economies throughout the West is inextricably linked to the health of their watersheds. Farmers and ranchers whose futures are driven by water are invested in and uniquely positioned to implement strategies to keep their watersheds thriving. By increasing federal support for flood-risk reduction, irrigation and other watershed health projects, this legislation will help farmers and ranchers succeed while also conserving critical natural resources throughout the West,\u201d said Jennifer Conner, Associate Director of Legislative Affairs for The Nature Conservancy.\n\n\u201cThe Healthy Watershed, Healthy Communities Act is a sensible modification to the invaluable PL-566 tool. Water programs, services, and projects are more complex today than they were nearly 70 years ago when PL-566 was enacted. To succeed in the future, water managers, resource stewards, and communities must be more creative and work more collaboratively. From where I sit along St. Vrain Creek as it meets the South Platte River, I have concluded our community is craving holistic, sensible, apolitical leadership when it comes to addressing current and future challenges around water. This Act is all those things, and when approved could have a positive impact, not only in my backyard, but across the West and U.S.,\u201d said Sean Cronin, Executive Director of St. Vrain & Left Hand Water Conservancy District.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://pettersen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=495"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7245430499315262, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}