ICYMI: 11 Hickenlooper Bills to Conserve Western Water, Protect Colorado Lands, Drive Energy Transition Pass Senate Committee

Hickenlooper-led and cosponsored bills now go to a full Senate vote

In case you missed it, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, celebrated committee passage of 11 of his bills, including the Hickenlooper-led Drought Preparedness Act and Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act to address the crisis on the Colorado River, and the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act to expand the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area in Routt National Forest. All 11 bills now head to the Senate floor for a final vote.

Water Conservation: Five Hickenlooper bills, which support water management across the West and on the Colorado River, passed the committee.

"We can't address the Colorado River crisis without working together," said Hickenlooper. "Our bipartisan bills support on-the-ground approaches to conserving water and investing in better strategies to fight this historic drought."

• Drought Preparedness Act: extends existing water management programs that address long-term drought trends in the West.
  
  
• Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act: extends the System Conservation Pilot Program, which was created to test voluntary water conservation measures to manage severe drought in the Colorado River Basin. The legislation supports the current pilot program through 2026.
  
  
• Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act: lowers the cost of completing the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) and makes sure the federal government helps finish the project.

"Coloradans have waited 60 years for the federal government to deliver on its promise of safe, clean drinking water for the lower Arkansas River Valley," said Hickenlooper. "We've come too far to slow down now."

• Water Monitoring and Tracking Essential Resources Data Improvement Act: addresses water scarcity across the West by supporting United States Geological Survey (USGS) programs for water monitoring, measurement, and estimation.
  
  
• WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act: increases Tribal access to water conservation and efficiency grants under the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART program.

Public Land Protection: Four of Hickenlooper's public lands bills, including the Hickenlooper-led Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act, passed the committee.

• Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act: expands the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area in Routt National Forest to protect sub-alpine wilderness habitats and wildlife while increasing access to outdoor recreation.

"The original vision of the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area included more protected land and better access for outdoor recreation," said Hickenlooper. "Today's vote is a step towards delivering on that vision!"

• Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act, or "SHRED" Act: establishes a framework for local National Forests to retain a portion of ski fees to offset increased recreational use and support local ski permit and program administration
  
  
• Bolts Ditch Act: authorizes special use of the Bolts Ditch headgate and the segment of the Bolts Ditch within the Holy Cross Wilderness Area, allowing the town of Minturn to use its existing water rights to fill Bolts Lake.
  
  
• Historic Greenwood District-Black Wall Street National Monument Establishment Act: designates the Historic Greenwood District of North Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre took place, as a national monument.
  
  

Energy: Two Hickenlooper bills which would drive the U.S. transition to clean energy passed the committee.

• Critical Minerals Security Act of 2024: directs the Department of the Interior to evaluate the global supply and ownership of critical minerals, and makes it easier for the U.S. to establish stable supply chains with international allies.
  
  
• Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act: helps protect coastal communities by creating a new stream of funding for coastal infrastructure and flood resiliency projects and helps incentivize new clean energy projects.

All 11 bills now head to the Senate floor for a full vote. Full video of the hearing is available HERE.

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