The Senate returned to session this week after a Memorial Day recess. While leadership chose to work on divisive and politically motivated issues, I have continued to work with the people of Colorado to get their real business accomplished and one of the ‘hottest’ issues in Colorado is the temperature and continuing drought.

Summer is not even here yet and Colorado is experiencing a record number of 90 degree days. With these extreme early temperatures our state’s snow pack has been significantly diminished earlier than normal, exacerbating our already drought affected mountains and plains. Our state could be in for a very long and hot summer.

Many Coloradans are already feeling the financial affect of the heat and drought, especially our farmers and ranchers on the Eastern Plains. I worked with several of my colleagues to include nearly $4 billion in emergency agriculture relief to our farmers and ranchers but the funding may be stripped out of the 2006 emergency supplemental bill. I will continue to urge the President to keep this much needed emergency funding for our farmers and ranchers who are withering on the vine.

Following up on my earlier efforts to obtain emergency and regular funding for wildfire management, this week I wrote a letter with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to Senate Appropriators urging the Committee to provide $10 million in funding for the Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) program. Oftentimes rural fire departments are the first line of defense for raging prairie and forest fires, in this time of drought it is paramount that the federal government do everything it can to assist these front-line departments.

Recent revelations indicate that Colorado’s wildfire aviation preparedness has been reduced for the 2006 fire season due to the deployment of Colorado National Guard helicopters. In past fire seasons, these helicopters have been used as backup firefighting resources in Colorado. I wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force to request that the Air Force provide my office with information on aircraft and crew availability, and how, if possible, the Air Force can assist in responding to and fighting wildfires in conjunction with the training of Air Force personnel.

I am also pleased to announce that Governor Owens signed House Bill 1322 sponsored by State Senator Tapia and State Representative Buescher that provides funding to a new Colorado renewable energy research collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado. I am confident its creation will help lead us to energy independence and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. This idea is a direct off-shoot of the Renewable Energy Summit I hosted in January, and a follow-up planning session I hosted with the presidents of CU, CSU and Mines along with NREL’s director.

Building on the renewable energy front, this week, along with a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues and Representatives, I helped introduce a Congressional resolution setting a goal to generate 25 percent of the nation’s energy supply from renewable sources by 2025. The resolution, known as “25x’25, is a roadmap to reduce our dependence on imported oil, enhance national security, improve the environment and create new jobs throughout rural America.

Another tool we have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil is responsible oil shale development. Last week I participated in a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources fact finding mission on oil shale. Committee Chairman, Pete Domenici (R-NM), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and I toured several oil shale test sites on the Western Slope and held a field hearing in Grand Junction. The purpose of the mission was to learn about ongoing oil shale technology and gather information from industry representatives, local governments and residents. Oil shale development has great potential but it also has great risk and we should move forward on it with that and the boom/bust of the early 1980s in mind.

On another local note I continued to push for a veterans’ cemetery in Colorado’s Pikes Peak region by urging VA Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs William F. Tuerk to do everything he could to ensure that the VA’s guidelines for placing veterans’ cemeteries accurately reflect important and relevant factors including future need, travel difficulties, and cultural realities. Our Veterans have sacrificed their lives and time with their families to defend our Nation and they deserve some consideration in the matter of memorial cemetery placement so they have easy access to honor their fellow soldiers.

Finally, I hope you enjoy the coming summer and get a chance to see first-hand our beautiful state. With that in mind, please be careful in Colorado’s forests and natural areas and check my website for helpful campfire and home safety tips.

I look forward to continue work on the issues that affect us everyday and hope that the Senate can move on to issues that bolster our homeland security, improve our energy security, relieve the health care crisis and educate our children.

Thank you,

Ken Salazar

Sen. Salazar Urges VA to Protect the Veterans It Serves and Releases Information to Help Veterans Protect Themselves Against Data Theft

Sen. Salazar Comments on Comprehensive Immigration Reform Passed by Senate

Sen. Salazar Continues Fight for Pikes Peak Veterans’ Cemetery

Sen. Salazar Fights for Rural Fire Protection Funding

Sen. Salazar Calls on President to Lead on Ag Disaster Relief

More

Oil shale's future: boom or bane?

Senators hear committee's suggestion on easing into oil shale development

More