Trump's federal funding freeze is leaving La Plata County farmers and ranchers high and dry. The freeze, enacted by Republicans on Jan. 20th, halted some $19 million in federal grant money awarded in the Biden administration to pay for a backlog of maintenance on the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project. The federally managed water project supplies water to about 400 farmers and ranchers on the Southern Ute Reservation and in La Plata County. Repairing its crumbling infrastructure will ensure that farmers get their full share of water this summer.
In an especially dry water year, it seems critical for the government to keep its prior commitments to maintaining our local water infrastructure. If Rep. Hurd truly supports local farmers and ranchers, as he claimed at last night's Tele-Town Hall, we think he should hear how the farmers in our area have been left in limbo, and explain how his votes will fix that.
Read the whole story in the Colorado Sun.