ICYMI: Hickenlooper Visits Southeast Colorado, Highlights Water, Housing, Veterans’ Care, Healthcare

COLORADO - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper visited Hasty, La Junta, Pueblo, Limon, and Lamar to meet with Coloradans and discuss top-of-mind issues.

Hickenlooper stopped by the John Martin Reservoir to receive an update on the progress of the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), which he has helped secure hundreds of millions in federal funds to complete. They highlighted how President Trump has risked 50,000 Coloradans' access to clean drinking water by vetoing Hickenlooper's bipartisan Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act.

Watch our video at the reservoir to hear more HERE.

In La Junta, Hickenlooper toured the 6th Judicial District Attorney's Office and met with county officials. They discussed the community's concerns about the Pueblo sewage spill impacting farmers and ranchers downstream, as well as the strains on rural healthcare and the importance of completing the AVC.

Earlier, Hickenlooper toured the Vail Hotel in Pueblo - one of Colorado's historic hotels turned into a public housing project - and met with local leaders to discuss the increasing cost of housing in Pueblo. From 2014 to 2024, Pueblo's average rent rose from $593 in 2014 to $1,161 in 2024 - a 96% increase. Meanwhile, the average renter in Pueblo makes just over $39,000 a year. Hickenlooper highlighted how the bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act, will help bring down the cost of housing and address the housing shortage Colorado faces.

Watch Hickenlooper speak at visit to the Vail Hotel HERE.

On Wednesday, Hickenlooper convened local leaders to discuss the impacts and clean-up plans for the recent sewage spill in Pueblo, which released more than four million gallons of raw sewage into the Arkansas River Thursday, August 27th.

Local health officials say that E. Coli levels down-stream of the spill are "extremely high," which poses a severe health risk to recreationists and down-stream ranchers and farmers. Officials have expanded advisories, urging residents to stay out of the water until testing shows it's safe. Drinking water for surrounding communities remains unharmed by the spill.

Watch Hickenlooper react to his visit HERE.

Hickenlooper toured the Prowers Medical Center in Lamar to highlight how Trump and MAGA Republicans' extreme budget gutted our healthcare system and created a healthcare crisis. A report by Public Citizen identified Prowers Medical Center as one of nine hospitals most at-risk of being forced to cut services or close due to Republicans' healthcare cuts. There, he heard about the importance of the hospitals' birth center - the only facility offering comprehensive labor and delivery services in Southeast Colorado. When the center closed briefly between 2021 until 2023, expectant mothers had to drive all the way to Pueblo for care - a significant health risk in emergencies.

Hickenlooper met with local veterans, Veterans Service Officers, and state veterans affairs representatives to discuss challenges veterans living in rural areas face, including having to drive hours to receive their care and benefits.

Hickenlooper also heard from local ranchers and farmers about how they're adjusting to the extreme drought, this administration's tariffs, and the increasing costs of diesel and fertilizer caused by the war in Iran. One young farmer shared that he had to sell all of his cattle to pay off debts and, ultimately, close his family's farm after he couldn't keep up with rising costs.

Check out what they're saying:

Pueblo Chieftain: Leaders discuss next steps after 4 million-gallon Pueblo sewage spill

About a week after millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Arkansas River through a defective wastewater pipe, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and state and local leaders met at Pueblo's Confluence Park to discuss a path forward.

…"This is the worst nightmare," Hickenlooper said at a Sept. 2 press conference.

"We do everything we can to make sure that our sewage stays where it is supposed to be and goes where it needs to get so that we can process it, and make sure we don't have any risk to our food we grow and the water we drink. Once in a while, problems happen."

…Hickenlooper says Trump's denial of disaster funding for Democratic-led states is 'not acceptable'

Hickenlooper told the Chieftain there have been recent issues with the processing of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster applications for Colorado and other Democratic-leaning states under the Trump administration. In March, Politico reported that "blue states" are three times less likely than Republican-leaning states to have disaster funding approved under Trump.

"Obviously, that's not acceptable," Hickenlooper said. "This country has never functioned that way, and it never should. We are working with Republicans, as well as Democrats, to make sure that we're all unified on this, because this could happen anywhere."

FOX 21: Officials provide update on cleanup efforts after major Arkansas River spill

Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper stood alongside state and local officials on Wednesday, Sep. 2, as they gave an update on how they're addressing the Arkansas River sewage spill. As state officials said bacteria levels are still "significantly elevated," Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has expanded water contact advisories to more locations.

"The key is to not lose our unity and to recognize that the way to get through this is to come together," said Sen. Hickenlooper.

…But for farmers, ranchers, and locals, Sen. Hickenlooper said dealing with the spill is a challenge. "We're already having one of the worst droughts in Colorado's history. It's been just as bad down here, a little wetter this summer, but hailstorms, all the challenges, the people that grow our food have had to endure all summer long; this is the culmination of a very hard time," he said.

Sen. Hickenlooper said he will push for help in Washington when disasters like this happen.

"We have a responsibility in the federal government to step up and support not just the water providers and the growers of our food, but the whole community, so we're going to do everything we can in Washington, I guarantee that," said Sen. Hickenlooper.

KOAA 5: U.S. senator visits Pueblo to discuss affordable housing law and local development plans

U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper visited Pueblo Wednesday to discuss the affordable housing crisis with local leaders, gathering for a roundtable focused on how the city plans to address the shortage.

…The 21st Century Road to Housing Law was passed by Congress in July. The law creates incentives for states and local governments to increase housing production and reduce barriers to construction.

"It's a huge investment in financing for affordable housing," Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper said the law also addresses corporate purchasing of residential properties.

"It also restrains that Wall Street can't come into your community and buy a bunch of houses, which raises the price, doesn't add any housing, just makes it more expensive for everybody," Hickenlooper said.

…"It's looking at how can we be simpler and not have to go through all the red tape and bureaucracy when we're trying to build affordable housing," added Hickenlooper.

KKTV: Officials say Sewage leak stopped, but Arkansas River contamination moves downstream

State and local officials gathered in Pueblo on Wednesday to address a sewage spill that sent millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Arkansas River.

…Sen. John Hickenlooper joined Pueblo County and state officials at the news conference, emphasizing the need to address both the immediate contamination and the cause of the spill.

"We have a team that's going to do everything possible to make sure we find out why it happened, B, do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again, and C, deal with this situation in real time," Hickenlooper said.

KKTV: U.S. senator visits Pueblo to discuss affordable housing law and local development plans

U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper visited Pueblo Wednesday to discuss the affordable housing crisis with local leaders, gathering for a roundtable focused on how the city plans to address the shortage.

"There's a shortage, there's a backlog," said Steven Trujillo, Director of the Housing Authority of Pueblo.

…The 21st Century Road to Housing Law was passed by Congress in July. The law creates incentives for states and local governments to increase housing production and reduce barriers to construction.

"It's a huge investment in financing for affordable housing," Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper said the law also addresses corporate purchasing of residential properties.

"It also restrains that Wall Street can't come into your community and buy a bunch of houses, which raises the price, doesn't add any housing, just makes it more expensive for everybody," Hickenlooper said.

…"It's looking at how can we be simpler and not have to go through all the red tape and bureaucracy when we're trying to build affordable housing," added Hickenlooper.

The Prowers Journal: Senator John Hickenlooper visits Prowers Medical Center to discuss rural health care challenges with representatives from area hospitals

Senator John Hickenlooper visited Prowers Medical Center on September 3, taking a tour of the facility and then meeting with representatives from area hospitals to discuss rural health care challenges. Present for the meeting were: Karen Bryant, CEO at PMC, Dr. Richard Book, Chief of Staff at PMC, Rita Bastian, Nursing Manager of New Beginnings Birth Center at PMC, Tina Sandoval, Chief Clinical Officer at PMC, Beth Bell, CEO at Weisbrod Memorial Hospital in Eads, and Dr. Anthony Brocato, CEO at Southeast Colorado Hospital District in Springfield. Also present were Joe Spitz, Board Chairman for PMC, Lamar mayor Kirk Crespin, and Prowers County Commissioner Roger Stagner. Amber Thompson, Executive Assistant to CEO Karen Bryant, was the moderator for the discussion, presenting the questions and introducing the speakers. Ms. Bryant opened the discussion by thanking Senator Hickenlooper for reaching out and asking if he could come to Lamar and hear them talk to him about rural health care in southeast Colorado.

Hickenlooper told the group "My main point in being here is to gather stories and express gratitude. Thank you all, for not just coming today, but for being part of the solution. As humans, we've always got problems; we're always trying to sort through things. The only way we can do that is by coming together and hearing and actually listening, so I'm here to listen." Speaking of the divide in government in Washington, he said "Health care is going to be THE battle. I'm sure Karen (Bryant) has told you, come January 1 and really so on April 1, we are going to see many cuts in Medicaid and we will have real challenges. It's a reality that we all share and the more good stories I can take back to D.C., the higher the probability that I will have a story that will catch hold of some appropriator. It's stories, not just the cold facts, but the stories that help us. In the past, we were pretty successful in getting our share of federal support and I think we can get back to that. Your stories are helping."

…The open discussion that followed included the nursing shortage as well as those contract labor costs. Senator Hickenlooper said he felt that there needed to be new ways to train nurses, including developing programs that start in high school. Brant said that PMC is on pace to spend $11 million this year just for contract labor in addition to the $17 million for salaried employees, which is a huge burden for the hospital. She said they feel they need to have the physician staff levels that they do because "we never know what's going to be coming through our doors. It's just really important to make sure you hear our story. We're in rural America. We're it. As we talked about on the tour- the OB-GYN that's here or the surgeon that's here, they're it. They're 24 hours for the two weeks they're on, so we've got to support them to care for patients".

Hickenlooper concluded the discussion, telling the group "Your stories are so valuable. We have to have healthcare in these rural areas. Thanks so much for being here - you're doing God's work".

WATCH:

FOX (Colorado Springs, CO): Arkansas River Sewage Spill

NBC (Colorado Springs, CO): Arkansas River Sewage Spill

CBS (Grand Junction, CO): Arkansas River Sewage Spill

NBC (Colorado Springs, CO): Pueblo Affordable Housing Roundtable

FOX (Colorado Springs, CO): Pueblo Affordable Housing Roundtable

LISTEN:

KOA (Denver, CO): Arkansas River Sewage Spill

###