releases: https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2024/08/01/press-releases-id-121d154a-d878-46ad-a792-a0fa7f42e54d/
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2024/08/01/press-releases-id-121d154a-d878-46ad-a792-a0fa7f42e54d/ | Bennet, Heinrich, Merkley, Caraveo, Vasquez Welcome $400 Million to Combat Historic Western Drought | 2024-08-01 | 2024 | 2024-08 | Democrat | Senate | CO | Michael F. Bennet | B001267 | www.bennet.senate.gov | bennet | https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/ | scraper | Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and U.S. Representatives Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement of $400 million to address drought through investments at the irrigation district scale in 12 states across the American West. “Family farmers, water users, and communities across the American West are facing the effects of a 1200-year drought and a changing climate. This is a five-alarm fire, and Washington ought to treat it that way,” said Bennet. “With this investment, the Biden administration answered our call to bring resources to bear that will help producers innovate and become more resilient to drought. I’m grateful for Secretary Vilsack’s leadership in delivering this relief for Colorado and the West.” “New Mexicans are on the front lines of increasingly extreme weather events driven by climate change, including prolonged drought and long-term aridification. We need better tools to stay prepared,” said Heinrich, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees USDA. “I applaud the USDA for heeding our calls to invest in new, innovative resources for our agricultural producers and communities to strengthen water security and climate resilience.” “As climate chaos fuels long-term drought in Oregon and across the American West, the federal government must use all the resources at its disposal to address this ongoing crisis,” said Merkley. “My colleagues and I urged the administration to take action earlier this year, and I applaud the USDA for creating this new program to fund innovative water solutions. This is a much-needed step forward to build a stronger, more resilient future for the West’s economy and environment.” “I’m very excited the bicameral effort I helped lead in April urging USDA for Western drought investments paid off. This new Water Savings Commodity Program and federal investments will be life changing for Colorado — giving our communities the resources and protections they need,” said Caraveo. “New Mexicans understand the critical impact that long-term droughts have on our communities and agricultural industries. After calling on the USDA for additional resources, I’m now proud to welcome this $400 million investment to address droughts and improve water conservation efforts,” said Vasquez. “This funding will help ensure a more sustainable, resilient future for the American West.” Producers who participate in USDA’s Water Saving Commodity Program will receive payments for voluntarily reducing water consumption while maintaining commodity production. This funding will help conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production, while expanding and creating new, sustainable market opportunities. The new program, coupled with investments from the Western Water Framework, will support innovative measures for water conservation while building resilience for long-term agricultural production in Colorado and the West. The Palisade Irrigation District was selected for the innovative funding opportunity in Colorado. | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T18:41:32Z |