Lawmakers Request Colorado Be Included In Disaster Relief Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. –At the prompting of Colorado Congressmen John Salazar and Mark Udall, Colorado’s entire U.S. House delegation has sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting that 20 Colorado counties receive disaster assistance relief as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2007. 

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March 6, 2007

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi                                       

Speaker of the House                                                  

Washington, DC  20515                                              

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

As you prepare for consideration of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2007, we urge you to include provisions that are of particular importance to ranchers and farmers in many rural Colorado communities.

We request that you include the following counties in the disaster assistance plan in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2007:  Otero, Las Animas, Baca, Prowers, Bent, Crowley, El Paso, Pueblo, Huerfano, Kiowa, Alamosa, Cheyenne, Costilla, Custer, Douglas, Teller, Elbert, Fremont, Lincoln, and Saguache. 

Colorado has been severely affected by several blizzards from December through February, which the Governor declared a statewide disaster emergency. Already, over 15,000 head of cattle have been found dead, and up to 360,000 may be affected.  This storm exceeds the notorious October 1997 storm, which killed five people and about 30,000 cattle and cost agriculture an estimated $28 million.

Across Colorado, ranchers, neighbors, the Colorado National Guard and others have worked furiously to locate livestock, feed, and water for their cattle. Thousands of cattle cannot be found in the deep snow covering pastures. Over the last several months, the state of Colorado has spent over $7000 per hour for National Guard helicopters to fly hay to their cattle. Small counties or local citizens with very small budgets are still paying thousands of dollars for snow removal to clear local roads for desperate ranchers to get to their pastures. 

The struggles that family agriculture producers and small counties face are having a major negative impact on the livelihood of hundreds of farmers and ranchers.  The full effects of these storms will reverberate with folks in Colorado long after the visible signs of damage have passed.  Disasters of this type could bankrupt small counties and shut down the family ranching business. We cannot afford to let this disaster add to the weight of past drought and economic hardship.  The Federal Disaster Assistance funding should open up the State of Colorado, local counties and ranching families to federal monies that can alleviate the pain that Colorado is facing.

Thank you for your consideration of these requests. Please feel free to contact us or our staff at any time.

Sincerely,

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John T. Salazar 

Member of Congress

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Mark Udall

Member of Congress                                                               

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Tom Tancredo

Member of Congress

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Marilyn Musgrave

Member of Congress

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Doug Lamborn

Member of Congress

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Ed Perlmutter

Member of Congress                           

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Diana DeGette

Member of Congress                                       

Cc:       The Honorable Steny Hoyer

            The Honorable David Obey

            The Honorable Colin Peterson