Bennet, Polis, Neguse, Local Leaders Welcome Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack to Colorado, Tout Wildfire Recovery, Climate Resilience Efforts in Northern Colorado

Statement

Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse, and other state and local leaders showed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack the wildfire recovery and climate smart agriculture efforts happening across northern Colorado.

Bennet, Vilsack, Polis, and Neguse visited two sites in the Cameron Peak Fire area in Larimer County -- the largest fire in Colorado history, burning 208,913 acres within the county. Bennet, Vilsack, and Polis continued the day at Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting to tour the malting facility and barley field. After, they held a roundtable discussion on climate change mitigation and adaptation, drought, conservation and soil health, the agricultural workforce, and other issues.

Bennet made the case for long-term investments in restoring our nation's forests to protect our watersheds and communities from catastrophic wildfires through his Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act. He also discussed ongoing efforts to support climate smart practices on working agricultural lands. His outdoor restoration proposal was included in President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan.

"We have to protect our forests and invest in our watersheds --these are national assets. Secretary Vilsack understands that, and I'm glad he was here to see Colorado's efforts and the forest health and wildfire recovery partnerships that exist in our state," said Bennet. "Secretary Vilsack also understands that farmers and ranchers should be at the heart of American climate policy. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Vilsack and the Biden Administration to support Colorado producers as they continue to deal with drought and wildfire."

"I was proud to join Sen. Bennet and Rep. Neguse today to meet with Secretary Vilsack and discuss the particular challenges that Colorado faces from wildfires," said Polis. "Our magnificent outdoors are key contributors to our Colorado way of life and it's important to discuss how we can care for them for generations to come."

"I was grateful for the opportunity to join Governor Polis, Secretary Vilsack, Senator Bennet and our county officials today to tour the Cameron Peak Fire recovery sites in Larimer County. The Cameron Peak fire damaged many homes and small businesses and put tremendous strain on our firefighters and emergency management officials. It's crucial that we meet these historic wildfires with a proportionate response. That's why we've proposed the launch of the 21st Century Civilian Climate Corps to bring needed resources to wildfire resiliency and watershed recovery projects and increase workforce capacity to support our wildland firefighters and wildfire suppression efforts," said Neguse. "Through our work on the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus and as Chair of the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands we hope to continue this work to meet these challenges and support our communities, just this week we led a bipartisan letter calling for increased funding for our forest service. Today, I was grateful for the opportunity to listen, and to learn. My hope is that together we can find solutions to support our communities and restore our forests."

"Agricultural producers play a critical role in addressing the climate and conservation challenges facing our state and I am proud of the visionary, collaborative efforts of Colorado's farmers and ranchers in stewarding the iconic and working lands of our state," said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. "I'm appreciative for the opportunity for our agricultural leaders to discuss these challenges, and Colorado's leadership, directly with Secretary Vilsack, Senator Bennet, and Governor Polis."

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