Ken Buck Praises Passage of Bill to Steward Colorado’s Water Resources

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

The following is a news release issued by U.S. Congressman Ken Buck to the Longmont Observer. U.S. Congressman Ken Buck represents Colorado’s 4th Congressional district, which includes Longmont, CO. As a non-profit news and media entity, the Longmont Observer neither supports nor endorses political candidates. 

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Ken Buck (CO-04) praised the passage of H.R. 4465, the Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act. This legislation, which Rep. Buck co-sponsored, passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly last night and will now go to the U.S. Senate for consideration. The bill continues an important consensus effort by environmentalists, government, and water users to protect fish species while ensuring that our state’s precious water resources can still be used for recreation, drinking, and agriculture. 

“Communities across the 4th Congressional District rely on water from the Colorado River,” Rep. Ken Buck stated. “This legislation allows those communities to thrive while still protecting our endangered species. Working together, Coloradans have proven that they are the best stewards of our state’s precious natural resources.” 

The legislation continues base funding for the Upper Colorado and San Juan Recovery Implementation Program. This program, which began in 1998, assures compliance with Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements to protect 4 endangered fish species native to the Colorado River while also permitting river water to be used by residents across Colorado who depend on it. Several water projects supplying the 4^th Congressional District rely on the accessibility of water in the Upper Colorado river basin, including the Arkansas-Fryingpan Project, the Colorado Big Thompson Project, and the Windy Gap Project.