Hickenlooper Welcomes Release of $40 Million in Federal Funding for Shoshone Permanency Project to Address Colorado River Crisis

Follows a nearly year and a half delay for a key Colorado River "Bucket 2" water project

Unfrozen funding comes after Hickenlooper highlighted the pressing need for these projects in a Senate ENR Hearing with Secretary Burgum

Senators continue pushing to release additional $52M in funding for remaining Colorado projects

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper welcomed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's (USBR) announcement of $40 million in federal funding for the Shoshone Permanency Project to combat the Colorado River crisis. Earlier this month, Hickenlooper urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee to release funding for Colorado's water projects, which provide drought resilience for the entire Colorado River system.

"We all pushed the Trump administration to release this Upper Basin funding because Colorado is facing a water crisis," said Hickenlooper. "Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, this funding will support the Shoshone Permanency Project's efforts to protect the Colorado River, especially during dry years."

The federal funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $4 billion to mitigate the impacts of drought in the Colorado River Basin, including activities to support environmental benefits and promote ecosystem and habitat restoration. Hickenlooper fought for $8 billion for western water infrastructure, $10 billion for forests, $19 billion for agricultural conservation, and $4 billion for drought in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Seven of the 17 projects have now been awarded a total of more than $99 million. Nine other drought projects remain unfunded. Hickenlooper is continuing to push USBR to release the additional $52 million.

Earlier this month, Hickenlooper welcomed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's (USBR) announcement of $47 million in federal funding for four projects in Colorado to combat the Colorado River crisis. Last August, Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet, and Representatives Jeff Hurd, Jeff Crank, Joe Neguse, Gabe Evans, Brittany Pettersen, Lauren Boebert, Diana DeGette, and Jason Crow called on top officials at the Department of the Interior (DOI) and USBR to release $140 million in previously awarded federal funding for 15 Colorado projects to help fight the Colorado River crisis.

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