Denver — On Friday, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined leaders from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District to see ongoing recovery efforts for the East Troublesome fire. Bennet heard about the need for greater funding to help Colorado forests, watersheds, and communities recover from the second-largest wildfire in Colorado’s history that burned nearly 200,000 acres and forced thousands of Coloradans from their homes.
“Here in Grand County and across the West, our forests and watersheds are under threat from climate change and Congress’ continued underinvestment. Nowhere is that more clear than with the East Troublesome fire,” said Bennet. “We made progress in investing in our forests in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, but Congress needs to do more. I’ll continue working to cut red tape and provide communities with the resources that they need to reduce wildfire risk and fully recover from the East Troublesome Fire.”
Last year, local governments and water providers that depend on these watersheds identified a $228 million funding shortfall for 2020 fire recovery efforts in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (ARNF). Over the past three years, Bennet has repeatedly urged Congress for more funding for these efforts. In the 2022 and 2023 Disaster Supplemental bills, Bennet collectively secured over $111 million in recovery funds dedicated to priority projects to repair the watersheds and regenerate the forest. Local governments and water providers have said they need at least $117 million to complete recovery efforts.
As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Bennet worked to secure major investments in our forests. The Inflation Reduction Act invests $5 billion to restore the health of our forests to prevent wildfires, modeled after Bennet’s Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act. At Bennet’s urging, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also made a major investment in our forests – for a combined historic $10 billion investment.